Doubles
by kukumalu01
Summary: Anaya Katzuhata is Fuji's cousin and only 12 years old. Yet she has betrayed her new school, Seigaku, confused her old one, Hyotei, has both girl's and boy's tennis team after her and cannot remember it at all. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1: Whack, Wacko, Whacko

**Doubles**

**DISCLAIMER: (This applies to all chapters of my story.) I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**Chapter 1: Whack, Whacko, Wacko**

Definitions

Whack – A sound made when a tennis ball hits someone

Whacko – A game where a person whacks someone and eventually learns another person's name

Wacko – A crazy person (e.g. a person who plays whacko after whacking an unfortunate wacko)

* * *

Anaya Katzuhata sat by the canal on the outskirts of town as the sun set. She needed a place to relax from the tiring day meeting her cousins once again. Her knees were drawn to her chest as she stared unhappily at the water. The wind tugged her light brown hair, threatening to break her ponytail free from the loose ribbon holding her hair up. Everybody said that if she smiled more, she would look exactly like a certain tennis tensai from Seigaku Middle School.

She sighed and got to her feet, picking up a small grey pebble and her red tennis racket from the ground. She had sneaked the tennis racket from her oldest cousin's car after she had dropped her off at the park, where she told everyone she supposedly was. She threw the tiny pebble in the air, her blue eyes narrowing as the pebble fell down. With her lightning fast reaction, she whacked the pebble across the canal.

It hit the opposite concrete slope hard and fell into the river with a plop, interrupting a small river turtle in pursuit of its dinner. The insulted turtle bobbed to the surface, narrowed its gaze at the scowling culprit and swam away in defiance.

Anaya felt the edges of the racket. Her cousin, Syusuke Fuji, had expressively forbidden her to play tennis that morning.

"It's not good for you to sprain your muscles now," he had said, his smile still in place.

"I'm still strong enough to play tennis," Anaya said to herself now, testing the racket strings. The pebble had been small enough to fall through the hole – she had to concentrate so that it would meet the cross where intersecting strings met. "How can he ban me from tennis?"

She swung her hand back and tested her swing, bringing the racket down sharply, creating a sharp sound as she made an invisible arch in the wind. She brought her hand back again, only to have a yellow tennis ball falling from goodness-knows-where, hitting her back.

"Aaah!" she cried. Her racket fell onto the ground with a clatter as she stumbled forward. Unfortunately, she stepped on her left shoelace and fell forward into the river.

* * *

"Hey, my serve improved!" cheered Horio, a first-year from Seigaku.

"That was great," Kachiro, one of Horio's friends said. "I think your speed improved too! That was fast!"

"It wasn't his speed," Ryoma Echizen spoke up for the first time, looking in the distance at the ball. "The ball hit that tree branch and it added an extra spin in the ball. That's why it's going faster."

"Actually, I think it was my two years of tennis experience which helped me improve my speed beyond all other freshmen in Seigaku," Horio boasted, tapping his racket on his shoulder the way he had seen his senpais had done. "With this and my _Super Horio_ shot, I'll easily become a regular!"

Kachiro sighed. "Horio… that was the first time in an hour your racket made contact with the ball."

Ryoma yawned. "_Super Horio_ shot?"

"You don't have a Super Horio shot," Kachiro said, sighing even more deeply.

"I do!" Horio cried. "It's-"

Suddenly, a loud outraged cry echoed eerily from the distance, where the canal was. Kachiro and Horio stepped back in fright at the animalistic sound.

"I'm going home," Ryoma announced, bored. He had been dragged by Horio to coach him. Horio ended up proving once again that his two years of tennis experience had amounted to zero results.

"Wait, what was that sound?" Horio asked, his voice stammering.

As if in answer, there was a higher-pitched shriek and a louder roar that followed.

"Aaaah!" Horio responded, clutching his friend in fear.

A small shadow appeared at the far end of the field.

"What is that?" Kachiro and Horio said together.

Ryoma stopped in mid-action of walking off. The sudden appearance of that shadow startled him to, even if he did not show it.

"WHO THREW A TENNIS BALL AT ME?" yelled the shadow. The shadow was becoming bigger and bigger as the voice continued strongly.

The three boys were too surprised to think of doing anything but guessing who the shadow was. Two of them were also at the point of collapsing in fear as their knees knocked against each other.

Then, the shadow was partially hidden behind the tree in the middle of the field, where the tennis ball had knocked into before flying at the canal's direction. Any second and the shadow's identity will be revealed.

"Ryoma-kun, help!!!"

* * *

What Horio was expecting was a large bear, with its claws outstretched and baring its teeth at him. He was not calm enough to think why a bear would be roaming around the town and how it could talk.

What Kachiro was expecting was a largely built man, with muscles flexing and veins popping, waving a club around like a Stone Age man. The thought of it made him sweat even more.

Ryoma Echizen was the calmest of all, expecting an irate person to give the three of them a earful.

Of course, Ryoma's prediction was the closest to the mark.

* * *

"FUJI-SENPAI!" was Horio's reaction. From behind the tree stepped a slender girl, a few inches shorter than the three boys. She was holding a red racket similar to Ryoma's with her left hand, and her right hand on her waist. She was wearing a sports jersey and knee-length pants. What made Horio jump to the conclusion that Anaya was in fact her fourteen-year-old cousin was the expression on her face. With the exact same features as Fuji, Horio thought he was looking at his senpai's deadliest and scariest face – with his eyes wide open and staring angrily at him.

Anaya looked at the scene which unfolded before her. There were two boys clutching each other and another standing a few meters away from them, all three of them looking at her. "Who threw the tennis ball at me?" Anaya asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

Horio realized his mistake and foolishly thought the girl was merely being respectful by keeping her voice low. "I was just showing them my _Super Horio_ shot," he said, folding his arms and holding his head high.

Anaya somehow made a noise similar to an angry cat as it lashed out at its prey. In a blur, Horio found the girl from ten meters away to ten inches from his face. Horio was open-mouthed as his eyes crossed in order to see the girl.

"You made me fall into the canal!" she said angrily. "Your tennis ball hit me in the back and I fell in!"

Now she mentioned it, the three boys looked closer at the girl. Her light brown hair was wet and so were her khaki shorts. Thank goodness she was wearing a dark green t-shirt.

"I-I'm s-sorry…" Horio stammered.

"You owe me something," Anaya said, looking down at her shirt. She held out her racket to the nearest person. Kachiro took it uncertainly. Anaya took the ends of her shirt and squeezed it so that water streamed onto the ground.

"We're really sorry," Kachiro added, remembering the girl's deadly stare at the start of their meeting.

Ryoma mentally applauded the girl. Here were two boys, taller and probably older, apologizing to a girl who had them wrapped around her finger. He turned around to leave.

Horio noticed this and cried out, "Echizen, wait!"

"Echizen?" Anaya repeated. "You're included, you owe me something too."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

Ryoma stared at the girl straight in the face. "What did I do?"

"You let him do this to me."

Anaya pointed to her left leg. When she tripped onto her shoelace, she fell on her racket, making her slip into the mud into the river. The pattern of the racket strings were embedded deeply into her pale skin, making red marks. It ran along her whole calf. It looked painful and messy.

Although Ryoma was not the world's most sympathetic guy, the sight of her leg made him wince.

Anaya looked thoughtfully at the racket he was holding. He was wearing the Seigaku regular jacket, like her cousin. This meant he was one of the best tennis players in the highly competitive school. Anaya looked down at her watch. She had fifty minutes to go. That was plenty of time to play a match.

"Play a match with me," she said abruptly.

"Hnn?"

"Play a match with me," she said, "or I'll tell on you."

"Tell on us?" Horio interrupted. He laughed. "Tell what?"

"I'll tell the police officer at the highway that there are three boys playing in on a restricted government area," Anaya said, lying all the way, "didn't you see the sign?"

Horio and Kachiro nearly fell over.

"Please Ryoma-kun, play the match with her!" Kachiro pleaded. "We'll be fined and put to juvenile court if we're caught!"

"Ha, this is Ryoma Echizen we're talking about," Horio said excitedly, "He'll beat her in ten minutes!"

Horio had completely forgotten about Anaya's death stare. When he received it the second time, he gulped in fear and wisely kept his mouth shut.

Ryoma did not believe Anaya but he could not help being curious. He was bored anyway with watching Horio do nothing the whole evening. Besides, no one would give him peace if he refused.

"Fine," he replied.

Anaya smiled. When she did, she looked even more like Fuji. The resemblance between them was so stark that Ryoma asked, "Who are you?"

Anaya raised an eyebrow and smiled even more. "If you win the game, I'll tell you. If I win the game you owe me another favour."

"Hnn."

"Okay. That's a deal. Let's go to the public tennis courts. It's only a minute away from here."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2: Anaya vs Ryoma

**Chapter Two**

_When a tensai says it's time to go home_

_It's time to go home_

* * *

Kachiro and Horio stood by the umpire stand, neither of them wanting the huge responsibility of overseeing the match.

"One of us must take note of the score," Kachiro said, desperately dropping the hint to his friend by gesturing wildly at the chair.

Horio returned the hint by sitting down on the spot.

Kachiro sighed in defeat. He climbed the side ladder and sat on the chair.

Anaya waved her hand at him. "Erm, excuse me?" she said awkwardly to Kachiro. _Excuse me?_ She thought. _What happened to her gung-ho attitude?_

_Well, what am I supposed to say? Yo, man in the chair?_

Kachiro didn't seem to mind. "My name is Kachiro," he said amiably.

"Can you call me when it's six o'clock?"

"Scared of losing too far to Ryoma-kun?" Horio said, but under his breath. He hadn't forgotten Anaya's fierce glare from before. Still, Anaya turned to frown at him, evidently hearing his every word.

"I need to go home by six o'clock," Anaya said. Horio was about to respond to preserve his dignity – or rather, ruin it further – when Ryoma interrupted.

"Can we start?" he asked, holding Horio's tennis ball in his palm. The three others looked at him in such a startled way at the sound of his voice that he had a sneaking suspicion that he was forgotten. He stared pointedly at Kachiro.

"Ahh… yeah. Sorry, sorry," Kachiro said, when he finally figured out Ryoma's strange look. "Erm, because one of the players needs to end the game soon, the first person to get six points wins. I guess. What do you guys think?"

Horio groaned.

"Anything," Ryoma and Anaya said simultaneously.

Ryoma bounced the ball a few times with his left hand as Anaya got into position. "Aren't you going to use your left hand to play?" Anaya asked in an interested voice.

Ryoma paused. Horio did the asking for him. "How did you know-"

"Never mind," Anaya said hastily, as Ryoma launced the ball in the air and hit it hard.

_Twist serve. _Anaya watched the ball spin on the ground for a second before rocketing off into her face. She stepped aside and hit it back easily, as if it were any other serve.

"1-0"

The two-piece audience dropped their jaws. It was so fast! How did the girl send back the twist serve so easily?

"I'll serve now."

Anaya thought hard as she bounced the yellow ball she produced from her pocket. Should she show much? She didn't have much time left. The fifty minutes she thought she had was in reality only ten minutes. Her watch was busted after her swim in the canal.

Maybe one move.

She threw the ball into the air. Then, she kicked back her left leg behind so that she spun around and hit the ball with twice as much force.

Ryoma watched the ball fly in the air with the eyes of a hawk. He ran forward to receive it, when the ball suddenly disappeared. It was just for a split-second and it reappeared soon, but the damage was done. The ball had already flown a metre over his head and hit the same spot the previous ball had before.

"2-0"

Ryoma stared at the spot for a long moment. Anaya took advantage of the momentary break to massage her calves. For some reason, it was going numb.

_You have a fast style,_ Ryoma thought, _let's see how you do in slow motion. _He was not too worried about the two points, he could easily reclaim them. He just wanted to see who this newcomer was.

Drawing out the match was harder than he expected. He made sure that the ball was always out of her range, but his opponent had quick feet and tried her best to make Ryoma pay for making her run so much. The ball zig-zagged all over the court and the players ran over every inch of their half of the court at least a dozen times already.

Kachiro tore his gaze away from the match reluctantly. It was unlikely that the next point was going to be scored anyway. He glanced at his watch. It was five past six. How was he suppose to interrupt the game?

He should have shoved Horio up the chair when he had the chance.

Salt water dripped from Ryoma's face but he lunged forward anyway to receive the ball. Anaya pushed up her sleeves and ran forward nearer the net in anticipation.

He smacked the ball just as his hat slipped down his eyes. The world turned black and he hastily pushed his cap back up. Anaya shrieked in surprise as the ball flew straight to her face at a tremendous speed. She hit the ball with the edge of her racket as she dived down to the ground to avoid injury.

Ryoma returned the out-of-control ball easily. Anaya could only watch as the ball flew over her head and make a 'thunk' sound as it landed.

"2-1"

Anaya got up, trying not to fume in disappointment. If only she had kept her cool and not rush aside when the ball came at her…

"Hey, are you alright?"

Ryoma looked at her, then suddenly looked distracted.

"I'm fine." She was about to pick up the fallen tennis ball when Horio suddenly cried, "Fuji-senpai!"

Anaya looked up in confusion. Hadn't they already established she was a girl and not their senior when they were at the field? She looked down again, and then realised her shadow seemed abnormally larger than usual.

"Hello Anaya," said a familiar voice.

It didn't sound very happy.

* * *

Please review(:


	3. Chapter 3: The Abrupt End

****

Chapter Three

_The abrupt end of the game._

_All thanks to him._

* * *

"Yuke-chan," Anaya muttered under her breath. She turned around and gave her cousin a weak smile. "Missed me?"

"You seem to have missed something I said as well," Fuji answered. He smiled, seemingly unaffected by her disobedience; Anaya knew better.

Anaya wanted to yell back that she wasn't about to follow orders from a person only two years her senior but she grudgingly admitted he had a point. It was probably only fifteen minutes into the game and she already felt tired. She scowled. She walked away and picked up her tennis bag from the floor. The game had ended.

Fuji looked over behind her shoulder. "Saa… Ryoma-kun." Fuji raised a hand in greeting.

"Fuji-senpai." Ryoma had walked over to the back of the tennis courts and kept his tennis racket.

Horio got up from the floor, looking bewildered at the turn of events. "We still don't know her real name!" Horio whispered – or so he believed. His voice echoed around the court.

Anaya decided against glaring at him. You can only glare at someone so many times before it loses its novelty. "See you tomorrow in school," she said instead, in response to his question. She put her hands in her pockets and turned around to scowl back at her cousin.

Seeing them at such close proximity face to face…

_They really are related_, Ryoma thought, glancing at them.

Fuji and Anaya left the tennis courts first, with Anaya giving him a piece of her mind in furious low tones. Ryoma wanted to leave as well, feeling unexpectedly disappointed at the abrupt end of the game. However, Horio was still holding the tennis ball Ryoma lent him for the field practice.

"What did she mean by 'see you tomorrow'?" Horio asked, standing by Kachiro at the umpire stand.

"Maybe she goes to Seigaku now too," Kachiro said, climbing down from the stand. "Ahh… sorry," he added quickly, when his feet knocked Horio's head.

"Term started two months ago," scoffed Horio, rubbing his right temple while shooting Kachiro a dark look.

"So?" Kachiro wanted to know, looking apologetically back at him.

"I don't know… Don't you think it's strange to start so late in the term?"

"Ryoma-kun entered school late too," Kachiro pointed out.

Ryoma did not like where the conversation was going.

"I was only four days late," he interrupted.

"Hmm." Kachiro glanced at his watch and jumped back in shock. "We're late! We're supposed to have been back home an hour ago!"

"Ack!"

* * *

Yumiko, Fuji's older sister, was waiting in her car by the main road. "You found her!" Yumiko exclaimed, evidently pleased at the sight of her scowling cousin. She rolled down her window to get a better look at Anaya.

It was a different girl from the one she dropped off at the park, with mud-splattered clothes and… a happy look under that familiar frown.

"Hello," Anaya greeted guiltily, remembering her promise to Yumiko not to stray away from the park. Then, her voice instantly hardened.

"I had a pleasant time," Anaya said, reading the question in Yumiko's mind. "Until he came along!"

Ah. Maybe not so different after all.

* * *

Pls review! Next chapter: _setting; school._


	4. Chapter 4: Female Army

**Chapter Four**

_Why does everyone think that apple juice is made out of apples?_

_Introduction to the Tennis Fanclub Female Army_

* * *

"When you draw an object," the new teacher said patiently, ignoring the snores around him. "You draw its outline first."

He held up an apple in the palm of his hand, about to explain its features to the only person paying attention in class (the chairperson) when he was interrupted by a sneeze. It so explosive that the snores were interrupted and the sleepy makers of these snores awakened from their slumber.

In the school's new bid to flood students with all-rounded knowledge, a kindergarten teacher had signed on for three weeks to teach first year students how to draw.

Needless to say, the students were not exactly… enthusiastic. Especially since there had been a bet going on about how many days he would last.

The chairperson (being the most optimistic) bet four days.

You could see how this is not going to end well for the teacher.

* * *

Ryoma looked at the seat beside him. He was so accustomed to seeing an empty seat that it still startled him to see a girl sitting next to him. A girl with brown hair and royal blue eyes.

She had her head on the table, sneezing away all day. Most teachers gave her disapproving looks and carried on with their teaching. The art teacher however, decided to take action. He weaved his way through the desks and looked down at her.

"Are you feeling unwell? Why do you have to put your head on the table? Are you done with my work?" He pulled out her sketchbook, fervently hoping it was blank. Then he could pronounce the class as a hopeless case and resign immediately.

The sketchbook was doubling as a pillow. Anaya nearly fell over when he jerked it from under her arms.

A few of her classmates sent her sympathetic glances. First day in school and already in potential trouble.

Anaya, oblivious to these looks, sneezed.

The art teacher nearly fell over in shock. The sketchbook was obviously not the new one handed out during lessons a few days ago. Its pages were already dog-eared and coffee-splattered. Photographs (professional by the look of them, all with the initials F.S. signed at the bottom) littered the pages with accurate sketches scrawled all over the book.

Anaya opened her bleary eyes, properly awake this time.

"Hey, give it back!"

She stood up and snatched the book away from the teacher.

Jaws dropped simultaneously all over the classroom.

"These drawings are good!" the art teacher said in disbelief. Then, he cleared his throat. "Right. Action is over. Let's get back to our apple."

Anaya sank back into her chair, about to sleep.

"You shouldn't sleep during class," Ryoma said suddenly, looking out at the window.

Anaya looked up. "You sleep during English class," she pointed out defensively.

"You sleep during _all_ the classes."

"No I don't! What time is it?" She glanced at the clock and visibly paled. "The day has gone by already? How many classes have we had?"

Ryoma shook his head.

"Hey, I feel sleepy, that's all. It's all your fault too, I was thinking about the tennis match yesterday."

_So was I_, Ryoma thought, but he never would admit it.

'So," Anaya said abruptly, "when does the tennis club practice?"

"After school. At four."

"Good. I've nothing on after school."

"Aren't you banned from tennis?"

"No I'm not!" Anaya said forcefully, "I can manage playing perfectly well. You know it, you played yesterday."

_Yes, but I could see you were tired._

"There's the girl's tennis team."

"It's not as if I'm going to learn anything from them," Anaya said scathingly. She was wise enough to lower her voice. Sakuno and Tomo-chan, both recent members of the girl's tennis club, were only two seats away from them. Anaya looked at them to check that they had not heard anything, then looked at all the girls in the class.

For some reason, all of them were glaring in her direction, watching her conversation with her partner.

Anaya suddenly felt alarmed. Why hadn't she noticed their blatant hostility before? It was like being the only water bottle left in stock with twelve hungry bloodthirsty people looking at her.

'_You slept during all the classes.'_

_Ah. That's why._

Panicked at the thought of having twelve potential enemies – a full female army – she leaned back in her seat, as if to put more distance between herself and them.

Unfortunately to the female army's eyes, she looked like she was leaning closer to Ryoma. They weren't just a female army. They were a Ryoma-Loving Female Army.

Anaya laughed weakly at the thought, horrified and terrified by them.

Ryoma looked at her strangely. "Anaya?"

"You do realise you have a fanclub here?"

"I try not to."

"Hahaha… okay. I'll try not to either."

* * *

"So this is the tennis club."

"Yeah."

Anaya ended up following Ryoma wherever he went that day. None of the girls took a particular liking to her anyway, except Sakuno, but Tomo-chan was always next to her and giving her dirty looks. She knew none of the other boys except Horio and Kachiro. Kachiro was sick at home, and also grounded for being back home late the day before. And Horio... Anaya prefered walking with Ryoma than him. No offence.

Ryoma did not seem to mind her presence anyway.

The two of them were the earliest to reach the tennis courts. The art teacher, fully discouraged when the chairperson at last succumbed to sleep when he finished explaining the different types of apple juices ("It's extra knowledge!"), dismissed them earlier than usual.

"Ryoma, you're early." Ryuzaku-sensei said, emerging from the school building beside the courts. She was about to ask why when she noticed Anaya. She stopped short.

_My God, that child looks just like Fuji Syusuke._

Anaya bowed respectfully at the teacher, fully away she was being compared to her cousin. To her credit, Ryuzaki-sensei recovered fast.

"So, who's your new girlfriend, Ryoma?" she said jovially.

Ryoma started. Anaya snorted.

"My name is Anaya Katzuhata, and I'm not related to Fuji."

It was Ryoma's turn to snort. "Thanks a lot," she whispered to him in a fierce murmur. Then, she sighed. "Okay, fine, I'm his cousin."

"Oh?" Ryuzaki-sensei was interested. "Do you play tennis?"

For the first time, Anaya smiled. "Yes."

"Do you want to join the girl's tennis team then? We have an available space in the school team." Many available spaces, in fact, but Ryuzaki-sensei kept silent about it.

"Hahaha!" Anaya burst out into laughter, just like she did after acknowledging the existence of the Ryoma-loving Female Army. Apparently she had the habit of doing that when faced with dangerous and hysterical situations.

Ryoma shook his head at his coach's questioning look.

"No thank you. I'll just stay here and watch my partner."

_A fan girl?_

"Well, you can join those girls then." Ryuzaki-sensei's voice turned more gruff as she pointed towards the end of the tennis courts. Anaya followed her gaze and suddenly jumped backwards. The army had apparently grown in her absence as the last school bell ended. From twelve to about forty and the numbers still growing.

All of them looking in her way.

Ryuzaki looked at the terror in the girl's face, which mirrored the pained look in Ryoma's as he turned away, pretending not to notice them.

"You're all right," Ryuzaki-sensei told the startled girl.

"Nya, ochibi!"

The three of them turned. The whole tennis school team was walking towards them from the boys' changing room. Judging from the sudden catcalls, swoons, cheers and gasps, the army had noticed them as well. The tennis team however, stopped short, noticing the newcomer.

Only Fuji continued walking. He stopped too, a metre away from his friends, and turned around. "What's the matter?"

"Fuji," Oishi said in a troubled voice, "there are _two_ of you?"

Anaya laughed quietly under her breath. "I'm so popular today."


	5. Chapter 5: Angel and Demon

**Chapter Five**

_When there are two identical people,_

_There's always the angel and the devil._

_But there always seems to be a mix-up between the two._

* * *

"Fuji," Oishi asked worriedly. "There are _two_ of you?"

Anaya stepped back uncomfortably, trying to calculate her chances of escaping under her panic. She knew what would happen if she was cornered by the Seigaku tennis school team – with her cousin among them no less. She would be compared, measured up, and dismissed.

Yuuta had told her all about it. She did not believe him until she set foot in the school, where she had been mistakenly called "Fuji-san" so many times she wanted to kill them all. When Sakuno finally addressed her as "Fuji-san" as well, Anaya snarled in anger and asked, "Doesn't anyone see the girl's uniform on me?"

Tomo-chan answered for Sakuno. "You must be related to Fuji-sama," Tomo-chan said, wagging a finger into Anaya's face, "and so you must be good in tennis too though you will be no match for my Ryoma-sama!"

Thinking back, Tomo-chan was probably the first recipient of her devil glare in the school. No wonder Tomo-chan was giving her dark looks during art class that day.

"I'd better go apologise to her," Anaya sighed.

"To who?" Ryoma asked in an uninterested voice. He was eyeing his hyperactive bunny of a senior, who looked ready to glomp him.

"Ah!" Anaya had completely forgotten about her calculations. _I have three seconds to run to my right, hidden from the boys, near the tennis courts and for heaven's sake AWAY FROM THE FEMALE ARMY._

"See you soon, Ryoma-kun," Anaya said, slipping behind him. She walked away to the back of the courts, pretending she was not feeling Fuji's stare on her. By the time the Seigaku boys were within talking distance of Ryuzaki, she was out of sight.

Eiji put an arm around his favourite junior and glomped him. "Nya, ochibi, where's the Fuji look-alike who standing with you just now?"

Ryoma was more preoccupied about the sudden lack of air he was experiencing.

"Eiji-senpai… Can't breathe…"

Oishi laughed at the familiar sight and put a hand on Eiji's shoulder; a friendly one and a restraining one. "Let him go, Eiji."

Meanwhile, Inui had reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small dark green notebook and a pen. He began scribbling away inside.

"What's that for, Inui?" Kawamura asked, pointing to it.

"The Fuji-Doppelganger, Volume 1," Inui said seriously. Anaya, hidden just a few metres away from them, turned pale. _What did he call me?_

"Why is it smaller than your other ones?"

Inui looked up, his spectacles gleaming white in the sunlight. "I'm afraid I don't have much information on Fuji, so there is only a 32% chance I would get enough information on his doppelganger." _He called me a doppelganger again! Oh he is so going to be killed._

Fuji laughed at the description. He was about to correct Inui's assumption when he stopped himself. His sadistic smile widened. To come to think of it, it would be very interesting to see how his teammates find out about Anaya on their own terms.

Momo noticed the smile and shivered. "Doesn't Fuji-senpai look like he is keeping something away from us?" he asked, turning to the nearest person on his left.

That particular nearest person turned his face away. "Fshuu. Baka."

"Hey, it was just a comment! Who are you calling baka?!? Why you…"

Ryoma, released reluctantly by Eiji, sighed. "Look at the mess you caused, Anaya."

"Enough!" Ryuzaki said, stepping between Momo and Kaidoh, who looked ready to tear each other apart. "Get on the courts, all of you! We need to start practice."

"Hai!"

* * *

Anaya was still watching the boys' practice, fascinated. It was so different from her old school where nobody would lose control of their emotions easily and the only comments to each other were snickers when their captain went ahead of himself (which was quite frequently). As soon as the boys were assigned warm-up laps by their buchou, she reappeared next to Ryuzaki.

The coach swore she had gained more grey and white hairs when she realized there was someone standing beside her, though reasonably shorter.

"Anaya," Ryuzaki said in surprise. "What are you doing on the court?"

"The door was open."

Automatically, Ryuzaki turned her head. The door was closed.

"I closed it," Anaya added, "so that those idio- I mean, other girls cannot come on the courts."

"What makes you think you can come here? This is the boy's practice," Ryuzaki said firmly. The nationals were looming ahead of them – the team did not need a distraction right then.

Anaya sensed that she was unwanted. "Sorry, I thought you wanted to ask me some questions."

"I thought you didn't want to answer those questions."

"I like answering questions," came the surprising answer. "It's just that most people ask me the wrong ones."

Ryuzaki looked down at the strange girl, who looked so similar to one of their ace players and gave equally disturbing answers. She did not feel the urge to order her out of the courts, as she had for countless of hopeful females in the previous years. She felt more patient towards Anaya than to the other girls than approached her, with the exception of Sakuno. Maybe it was because Anaya was not here for boys. She was here for tennis. Ryuzaki looked thoughtfully at Anaya. She might as well know more about her.

"How long have you played tennis, Anaya?"

"I don't remember," Anaya said, distractedly. She was looking at the first-years who were practicing at the end of the court. She recognized a few of her classmates among them. "Horio is in the tennis club! He doesn't seem too good… I knew he was bragging when he said he had two years of tennis experience…"

Ryuzaki stared at the girl in amazement. With Fuji, you could hardly hold a conversation before he cut it off so smoothly and abruptly that you had trouble believing that the conversation was over.

With Anaya, you could hardly hold a conversation without her bringing unexpected and unrelated pieces of information into the conversation.

"Did you play in your school team?"

"Yes!" Anaya smiled, making her face look like Fuji's calm expression. "I played doubles with Yuki-chan or singles three."

_Yuki-chan? Why does the name seem familiar?_

"I quit the team three weeks ago."

The sudden heaviness in her voice was frightening.

"Why?" Ryuzaki tore her gaze away from the first years to look down at Anaya.

"There was an accident," Anaya said, "but I _can_ play though. I've been practicing for two weeks since I got released from the hospital…" Her voice dragged off to a mumble. Ryuzaki noticed she was glaring in the direction of the running boys.

* * *

Fuji was on his eighth lap when he skidded to a halt in front of the courts and entered the courts. Tezuka turned around briefly. "Fuji!"

"Hold on, Tezuka."

The captain trusted his instincts not to question him. He turned to the other runners who were slowing down. "Continue running!"

Ryuzaki heard the captain's sharp voice and turned around to find Fuji standing a foot away from her.

"Gomen, Ryuzaki-sensei." Fuji turned to Anaya. "Don't you have a doctor's appointment today?"

Anaya's jaw dropped open. "I forgot all about it!" she cried. "And it's not even a regular check-up… Oh no…"

She uttered "Excuse me" to the coach and a hasty thank you to Fuji before running out of the courts and disappearing into the distance.

Fuji chuckled. He turned too to continue his laps.

"Fuji," Ryuzaki said, before he walked away, "what school was she from?" _Which tennis club was she from?_

"Anaya?" Fuji smiled. "She was from Hyotei."

* * *

Please review! The next chapters will be her personal encounters with each of the regulars... It'll be unexpected and promising, I hope!


	6. Chapter 6: Eiji & Oishi Encounter

**Chapter Six **

Encounters (Eiji & Oishi)

* * *

Oishi and Eiji walked down the familiar road to school. "Nya, Oishi, I couldn't do the history essay yesterday!" Eiji said in a sad voice.

"History essay?"

"Yeah, the one that sensei assigned us to do last Friday!"

"Eiji?"

"Yeah?"

"It was a literature essay on the themes in the _novel_ Battle of the Beasts - not a real battle in history!"

Eiji stopped, shocked. "You mean there was no battle of beasts?"

Oishi shook his head. "What on earth did you research about, Eiji?"

"I don't know, nya." Eiji sighed, disappointed. "You mean there is no history essay? So I did a piece of homework… that's not even homework?"

Oishi agreed.

Eiji sighed again, then brightened up almost immediately. "On the good side, we're near the park! Can we stop by for a while? I want to go on the monkey bars!"

"But Eiji…" Oishi glanced at his watch. "Why do you need to go to the park? You know that the playground is under reconstructions for damages… I think you did the damages…"

"Oishi, that's not fair! I just heard a crack when I was on top of the pole tower! I didn't damage anything! There might even be a chance they've finished repairing. Please Oishi…" Eiji stood in front of him and waved his arms to block his way.

Oishi gave in. There was no morning tennis practice anyway that day and they had plenty of time before school started. It _has_ been a long time since he went to the playground… and he would never admit it but he did love the three metre-high slides…

"All right, I guess."

"Yay! Oishi, you're the best!"

Laughing, they turned left down the dirt path to the park. The playground would be in the heart of the park, not long away from the main road. Ten more metres… Five more metres… Two metres…

Then, Oishi stopped short. He pulled Eiji's arm before the hyperactive boy could run forward and jump over the red-and-white tape still surrounding the playground.

"Nya, what is it Oishi? It's just tape, they'll put it there anyway if one sandbox broke."

"No Eiji – look! On top of the roof!"

* * *

The playground was really an infusion of a gymnasium with kid elements. It looked like a castle. There was a short wall surrounding the elements, with steps on either side of the entrance to allow the children to climb on top of the wall and walk along its metre long path. There was a huge towering tower in the middle of the grounds where one can only reach if they climbed a long flight of steps. You could get off the tower platform by sliding down the three slides of the platform (Oishi's favourite). There was a slant roof overhead the platform. Near the tower were monkey bars, a flying fox and Eiji's pole tower – a long pole with a round platform at the top where you slide down the pole to get on the ground.

Sitting on top of the slant roof of the main tower (around two storeys above ground level) was Anaya.

* * *

On the ground, Oishi was panicking, forcing himself to be calm and then panicking again. "Oh no, what is that girl doing up there? She's in Seigaku's school uniform! Quick – we must call the school, no the police, no the fire department! Don't make any sudden movements, Eiji!"

Eiji was less worried. He could see that the girl had a strong foothold on the edge of the roof and she did not look in the least suicidal. His sharp eyes caught something. "Oishi, doesn't she look like the girl we saw at the tennis courts yesterday?"

Oishi was not listening. "Do you have your cell phone, Eiji? I suppose we have to get her off the roof or she'll fall and break her neck!"

If Oishi was a cartoon character, he would be running circles in panic already.

* * *

Anaya resisted the urge to open her eyes when she heard tiny yells coming from the ground. Her peaceful haven disappeared, there were people here. She supposed she had to go down before the people thought she was suicidal or something equally strange. She could not stop thinking of the doctor's appointment yesterday though.

_Flashback, 5.20pm, the Day Before_

_Anaya burst into the doctor's room without knocking. "Anaya, wait for me!" Yoshiko called._

"_Anaya!" the doctor looked up. Most doctors did not know their patients well enough to instantly match a name to the face but Anaya Katzuhata was an exception to Dr. Weller. The Eurasian doctor had seen her in and out of the hospital for three weeks already._

"_Sorry I'm late," she said, "I lost track of the time."_

"_School ended a long time ago…" Dr. Weller narrowed his eyes. "Were you at any extra activities? Anaya, did you go back-"_

_Already, Anaya looked back at the door but unfortunately her aunt just closed it shut. No way to escape. No way to lie through her teeth (Dr. Weller had been a professional for decades.)_

"_I was only _watching _tennis practice."_

_Dr. Weller sighed. What a stubborn patient. He had her run through the usual tests, to see whether the right side of her body was strong enough again. Bashing against a car on your right tends to weaken a person._

"_Your condition is improving-" Anaya beamed. "- but I will only give the okay signal to play sports after your next appointment with me next week."_

"_What?"_

_Dr. Weller smiled at her outraged face. "You're doing well. It's only been two weeks since you've been released. Thank your lucky stars girl; some can't even go back at all."_

_Yoshiko thought it was time to interrupt when Anaya looked ready to yell back at his comment._

"_Can she play maybe an informal match then? To keep her spirits up and let her get used to playing again. I'm sure Syusuke will make sure she won't exert herself…"_

_Dr. Weller surveyed Yoshiko under his spectacles, then looked back at his patient. He was well aware that Anaya would probably break her word (if she had not already) and it will be useful to have someone watching her play. _

"_Alright." _

"_YES!"_

"_But promise me that you will stop the second you feel tired."_

_Anaya was about to scoff. Stop when you feel tired? Doctor – that's the joy of the game – pushing yourself when you feel tired! _

_But this was her ticket to freedom. _

"_Okay, I promise."_

_Flashback, 8.15 pm, the Day Before_

_Anaya leaned against Fuji's bedroom doorframe. Her cousin had just come home from dinner with his teammates after tennis practice. Fuji turned around, feeling her eyes on him, and smiled._

"_Saa… you look happy."_

"_The doctor said I can play tennis again!" That did not come out right, but she could not help the words from bursting forth. _

_Fuji stopped scribbling in his book and put down his pen. "Really?"_

_Anaya nodded._

"_Are you going to join the tennis club, then?" The question that was echoing in her mind the whole afternoon was finally said aloud._

"_I don't know."_

_Fuji looked mildly surprised for a second, before smiling again. "I understand. You don't think Seigaku Girl's Tennis Team is good enough for you."_

"_Do you?"_

Anaya could not get Fuji's words out of her mind. "No," he had answered, "but the boy's team is."

She sighed, then looked down from her perch. The people below were trying to communicate to her. Relax time was over.

* * *

What 'communicate' meant was Oishi digging around his backpack for his cell phone while trying to remember the number of the fire department and the school counselor, just in case, while Eiji looked up and tried to devise a way to climb the tower too.

To Oishi's terror and Eiji's delight, Anaya stood up from her perch. Before she could lose her balance, she jumped off the roof ("Aargh!" Oishi cried) and landed on the slide. Having kicked off her shoes before she climbed the tower, she was able to slide down the slide smoothly on her feet, as if she was surfing.

Unfortunately, she ruined the moment when she tripped over her feet. "Argh!" Anaya managed not to scream and hoped she would not fall off the slide. To her relief, she fell on her bottom so that she slid down the rest of the slide the normal way and landed at the two boys' feet. Oishi had (surprisingly) ignored his own advice and ducked under the tape to run to the slide when Anaya lost her balance. Eiji had gaped in surprise at his friend before running after him calling, "Hoi, hoi, wait for me!"

As soon as she stopped, Anaya put her hands on her skirt so it would not billow in the wind. She looked up and gave a weak smile at Oishi. "Sorry for scaring you," she said, "it doesn't usually end like that. Me falling, I mean. I usually can slide down properly on my feet."

As she stood up, Oishi tried not to fall down at the thought that Anaya (two years his junior and at least a head shorter) did this regularly.

"Nya, that was awesome!" Eiji exclaimed. "How did you climb the tower?"

Anaya looked surprised. _Huh?_

_No reprimands? No questions?_

Anaya smiled. _Cool._

* * *

Pretty soon, Eiji was standing on top of the roof, looking like a happy kid with an unusual growth spurt. "This is amazing!" he said to himself.

On the ground, Oishi and Anaya were looking up at Eiji. Anaya dropped her hands, which were cupped around her mouth to shout instructions to Eiji. She put her hands in the pockets of her white jacket and smiled.

"Hey," Oishi said awkwardly, trying to start a conversation, "what were you doing on top of the roof just now?"

"I was thinking." Anaya's smile grew wider. She knew Oishi was trying to get her to say her name. She knew his and Eiji's already – she knew the whole team. Fuji had described them to her often enough. She was not going to make Oishi's job easier though – what a sadistic girl.

"Thinking about what?"

"About tennis." No, she should not have said the word 'tennis', that would result in more questions. But she never lied to a person before (not directly anyway) and she was not going to start now.

"Tennis? Do you play tennis?"

"Yep," Anaya said.

"That's great!" Oishi extended a hand, "I play tennis too! I'm Oishi."

Anaya looked at the outstretched hand. _Okay Anaya. Shake that hand and you've become friends with the tennis team. Ignore it and you're alone. _

Anaya shook his hand gladly. "My name is Anaya Katzuhata."

"It's nice to meet you, Anaya-chan," Oishi said. He pointed up to the boy on the roof. "That's my friend and doubles partner, Eiji Kikumaru."

"Call me Eiji!" With a jump and a shout, he imitated Anaya's daring land, but managed to stay on his feet.

"Eiji-senpai?" Anaya tested out the words. It sounded nice to have a senpai again.

"Anaya-chan," Eiji said cheerfully, "let's have a competition!"

* * *

"Competition?" Anaya and Oishi repeated together.

"I'll race you," Eiji continued. "We can start from the walls and then you can use the ropes at that corner and I'll use the monkey bars and whoever reaches the pole tower first wins!"

It was a crazy and manic plan. Only crazy maniacs would take on a bet like that.

"Deal!" Anaya said. Together, they raced to the entrance.

"Oishi, you can referee!"

Oishi sighed. The world would be a safer place without people like this. Then again, the world would be very boring too. Maybe this competition would not hurt. Much.

He stepped forward. "Ready?" he called.

"Ready!" answered two voices in sync. Eiji looked like he was having the time of his life. Anaya looked like she was having a hard time keeping herself from falling off the stairs in laughter.

"Go!"

Instantly, the two of them shot off. Oishi covered his eyes just in time – the dust and sand clouds left behind by the sprinters enveloped him. When the clouds stopped giving him grief, he blinked and looked around.

_Where was everybody?_

Eiji was in the lead, running as fast as he could, occasionally doing a cartwheel wherever there was a hole in the wall the workers failed to reconstruct yet. Anaya's side of the wall had more of these holes and since she hated cartwheels, she had no choice but to jump. This took time and already Eiji was nearing the mid-section point where the rope course and monkey bars were.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Eiji-senpai!" Anaya called, jumping over a metre long hole.

Eiji gave her a peace sign in reply. "I'm winning, Anaya-chan!"

"Watch out, there's a hole in front of you!" Anaya screamed.

Eiji's eyes widened and he instinctively slowed down. There was a hole; a ten-centimetre one. "Anaya-chan, that was a dirty trick!" Eiji cried.

"Too late!" His halt was enough for her to catch up and she had five metres of non-holey wall to go. She kicked off her shoes (Oishi narrowly ducked them) and ran forwards. Because of the reduced friction with only her socks, she managed to slide on the wall effortlessly and quickly, spraying sand everywhere. She surpassed Eiji and at the mid-point, she jumped in the air.

"Watch out!" Oishi cried.

Laughing, Anaya caught the first rope two metres away from the wall, ignoring the jutting steps below her which was where she was supposed to climb down to get to the rope course.

Eiji could not help laughing along. He was at the monkey bars now.

Two more metres… They were now head to head. They balanced on the dangerous rope to the pole tower, causing Oishi to pray fervently that the playground had not been closed because of a frayed rope or something equally dangerous. They both darted to the platform and reached it together.

"I won!" they exclaimed together.

"The pole tower!" Oishi said, his eyes widening, watching the crack at the bottom of the platform widen because of their combined weight. "Get off it!"

It was too late. As he spoke, the screw flew out of its place and the platform suddenly plunged downwards to the earth. The two competitors screamed until the platform landed on the ground, making a mini-earthquake as the sandpit underneath them exploded, hiding them from sight.

"Eiji! Anaya-chan!"

_Oh my God, they died! Argh! This was a dangerous and stupid plan; how could I have let them play on the playground when I knew it was dangerous? I failed! Failed as a friend, as a vice-captain, as… as…_

Oishi was spared from further mourning when he heard laughter. The laughter of two very undead people.

Anaya and Eiji were on the ground, metres away from each other, having been flung from the platform after it had landed on the ground. Anaya was leaning against a section of the wall, her hair suddenly white blonde with all the sand in her hair. Eiji was sitting in the middle of nowhere, his legs outstretched in front of him. They were both laughing uncontrollable. The adrenaline had not left them and the fact that they were both still alive was sending them into peals of happy laughter.

Oishi breathed out in relief.

"Okay guys, let's go now or we'll be late for school," he said. _Let's go before they think of another insane idea._

Anaya looked up and shook the sand from her hair. "Can I follow you? I still don't remember my way to school."

_New student? Eiji was right. This could be the girl we met at the tennis courts yesterday._

"Sure," Oishi said, smiling, "Why not?"

* * *

A/N: I'm rather proud of this chapter(: Thank you to those who reviewed! PLEASE review this chapter whoever you are - it doesn't matter whether you're a chipmunk or human - but I need to know some comments about Anaya meeting the regulars before I continue^^ Next chapter: Brawl with the Female Army + Inui and Kaidoh encounters


	7. Chapter 7: Mystery Match

**Chapter Seven**

_Knifes are dangerous_

_Especially in freefall_

* * *

To Anaya, her second day of school zoomed by again as she zoned out the whole day. She seemed to come alive during the last two periods- enrichment class and music. Art (as you might remember) was the semester's enrichment class. The kindergarten teacher had handed in a medical certificate for a week to the principal. He claimed to have had a cardiac arrest after yet another lesson with restless preteens.

If the principal had looked at the paper closer, he would have found that the font of the print was almost but not exactly identical to an official medical certificate. Who said forgery was not a form of art?

The substitute teacher, harassed last minute to take over the first year class, was Suzuki-sensei. The petite woman was barely 1.5m and taught poetry, calligraphy, art and music at whatever schools which call for it. She always came to school in a kimono, her long black hair in a bun. Nobody ever disobeyed or took advantaged of the gentle woman.

Now, she stood in front of the class with the class standing, waiting to exchange greetings. She took out a paper aeroplane from her handbag and aimed it precisely at the class chairperson standing at the front row. Rei Nakamura widened her eyes and stepped to her left to avoid it. The whole row behind followed her example and ducked as well. A few girls shrieked and covered their eyes, only to have the aeroplane fly past their heads. Anaya, in the last row, hardly reacted as the aeroplane seemed to fly at her face. Suddenly, the plane dipped and landed gently on top of the pile of books on her table.

Whispers washed over the classroom.

"Woah, did Suzuki-sensei purposely aim at her?"

"It couldn't be – that would have been such a daring risk! How would she have known everyone would duck?"

"Why Anaya-chan anyway?"

Rei shushed the class just as Suzuki-sensei bowed to the class. "I am Suzuki-sensei, your substitute art teacher," the fifty-year-old woman said, smiling. "Your real art teacher complimented on your artwork, Anaya Katzuhata."

Anaya had made it through the day relatively unscathed by keeping her presence as non-existent as possible. Now the whole class was looking at her.

"Ah… Arigatou, Suzuki-sensei," Anaya said. When the class sat down, Anaya turned to her partner. "Who is she?"

Ryoma shrugged. "She's a motherly teacher, she has been in the school for ages."

"Enough talking," Suzuki-sensei continued. It seemed as though she was talking about her introduction but she was staring straight at Ryoma and Anaya. The both of them sweat-dropped.

"Oh, she's good," Anaya whispered.

"Yeah."

"Since I didn't plan for today's lesson, I'll teach you simple origami. It's easy to learn and I have plenty of paper…"

* * *

Anaya held up her hand. Sitting on it was a paper frog. She used green paper and had hastily drew eyes on it. "Hey Ryoma," she said, "this is you."

Ryoma gave it a brief glance and held up his own origami. It was half-done but still resembled a duck. "This is you."

Anaya decided her partner was too smart for his own good.

* * *

The bell rang and Suzuki-sensei left the class in chaos as the students hurried to past their bags. Their music teacher was passionate about their music but strict about discipline, like being on time. Anaya looked at her hands, stained black from the markers she had used. "Be right back," she muttered.

As she left the class, two other girls looked at each other. They nodded and left the class as well.

* * *

Anaya scrubbed her hands with the red liquid. She watched as black bubbles formed in the sink. "Interesting..." she thought. Then, she smiled. When she was younger, she used to love blowing bubbles into people's faces. She scooped the weightless bubbles with both hands, swirled around and threw them into open space.

Just then, the bathroom door opened and two girls got a shock of their lives when black goo splattered onto their white blouse. Anaya paled and ran her fingers through her ponytail, unconsciously streaking her hair.

"Ahh... Madoka Abe and Suzume Satou! Gomen..."

"Katzuhata-san!" spluttered Suzume. "Why on earth were you _throwing bubbles_ at us?"

"I wasn't exactly aiming at you." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the pair of girls at the same time. They were notoriously known as staunch Ryoma-supporters, wearing the same wristbands and tennis shoes as him while they played tennis. They were the only freshmen on the girl's school team as doubles players. Were they the same rabid female army?

"What are you doing here anyway?" Anaya asked, facing them. With her feet apart and black-and-red liquid dripping from her hands, she looked like she came out from a horror movie, especially with the carefully blank look on her face.

"We came to talk to you," Madoka said, closing the door shut and turning the lock. The girl quickly looked at Anaya to see any reaction. The doubles partners have done this many times before (cornering a person, both on and outside of courts) but never to someone who looked so _expressionless_.

"About?" It was no longer the apologetic tone - it was crisp, sharp and hostile.

Suzume decided to return the favour. The blonde tossed her long ponytail over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips. "Okay, Katzuhata-san. If you want it mean, we'll give you mean. We want to know what happened during your match with Sakamoto-buchou."

Anaya suddenly beamed at them. _Madoka and Suzume, you've got the wrong girl. I've no clue of the existence of a Sakamoto-buchou. Happy finding the girl you were looking for!_

"Katzuhata-san, we're serious," Madoka said in a frustrated voice. "We know you were on the Girl's Tennis Team from Hyotei. We played you two weeks ago in the Regionals and you were in Singles Three with Cheri Sakamoto, our third-year team captain."

At the words 'two weeks ago', Anaya's shoulders went stiff and she walked back to the washbasin without a word. She opened the tap and watched the water run without putting her hands beneath them. "I don't remember anything two weeks ago." She looked up. "You're wasting my time. Go back to class, sensei will be angry you're late."

Suzume's grey eyes flashed. "You're just going to leave us like that? How can you _not_ remember a match with Sakamoto-buchou?"

"Why? Should I?"

The shock on the two girls faces was enough response. Madoka started to clench her fist. Anaya flashed back to the day before when Sakuno had timidly introduced her to every girl in class during break time. _Madoka has a short temper, Sakuno said, Don't be on her bad side, Anaya-chan!_

"Buchou said that the match was crucial and the outcome of it will be determined after two weeks! What happened during the match that would cause such a delay in the release of the results?" Madoka cried.

Anaya stared at the brunette, all running water forgotten. It was indeed strange for results to be withheld for so long. Something must have either upset either party so greatly that a big hoo-ha was made or the rules and regulations had been violated. For a two week suspension, it could have been both. _And she was in the middle of it all?_

"I can't believe you guys had the patience to wait out two weeks before asking me. But why ask me now?" Anaya said.

"We've tried asking Sakamoto-buchou but she's too stubborn! And nobody else saw the match..." Suzume said, eyeing her friend, who was bursting with impatience, "since Sakamoto-buchou's matches usually end very fast."

"Well," Anaya said, just as the end of day chime rang across the school, "you just missed music class and you don't have your answer."

Before she could complete her sentence, Madoka took the music file she was holding for the next lesson (well, no lesson now) and threw it at Anaya. She dodged the thick black file easily but was not counting on a open penknife to slip through the file, where Madoka had hastily shoved in after art lesson.

It was not Anaya who shrieked at the sight of the blood but Suzume.

* * *

A/N: Ah well, keep you in suspense for a while.


	8. Chapter 8: Momo & Kaidoh Encounter

**Chapter Eight**

_Encounters (Momo & Kaidoh)_

_Girl's Tennis Team met_

_Doubles 1: Madoka Abe and Suzume Satou_

* * *

After school, Takeshi Momoshiro would usually unchain his bicycle from the bicycle compound at the side entrance of the school, wave goodbye to his friends and cycle straight to BurgerJoint where he would indulge in super-sized burgers at student rates.

After school, Kaoru Kaidoh would usually walk home via the long route so he could stop by a small shelter for abandoned kittens for a while, before he had a change of clothes and went for his afternoon jog.

They never crossed paths after school before, unless there was tennis practice. Today was a special day.

"Viper, this is all your fault!" Momoshiro roared, facing his enemy.

"Fshuu, you're overreacting," Kaidoh said, looking in the other direction.

"Then why am I in the nurses' room, baka?!?"

"Whom are you calling a baka?!?"

"The viper who made me fall just now by crashing into me!"

"Fshuu, if you had watched where you were going… you were too busy staring at Megumi Itou…"

"Nande? Why you…"

The school nurse, an elderly woman in her fifties, whacked the two fighting boys on the head with the school magazine.

"What are you two fighting about outside my haven?" she demanded. Before they could properly apologise, she said, "Who's the injured one?"

Kaidoh looked at Momo, Momo looked up at the school nurse, and the school nurse sighed. She rubbed her nose, where the spectacle bridge sat. "All right. You," she said, looking at Kaidoh. "Help the girl behind you."

The school nurse turned to Momo. "So, you fell?"

Momo nodded. "I think my right ankle is sprained."

She felt his ankle – it was swollen. "You're right. I'll bandage it and you will have to go home straight away and take the rest of the day off from doing any strenuous exercise."

Momo thought of BurgerJoint. "Is cycling strenuous?"

The school nurse gave him a stern look. Momo sank into the bench near the door and sighed. "That's not fair, not fair at all."

* * *

As Kaidoh turned around, he thought, "Baka, I'm wasting my time accompanying him – oh!"

A tall blonde girl with her hair in a silver ribbon was holding another girl tentatively by the right arm. The injured girl had her blouse stained black with red splatters on it. She was clutching the right side of her face, blood dripping from her fingers to the floor. The blonde girl looked frantic, more panicky than the injured one. The brunette looked up and saw Kaidoh. She took away her hand and opened her sharp blue eyes at him.

"Fuji-senpai…" Kaidoh murmured, then shook his head. _This is a girl for goodness sake._

"Help me," the blonde girl said miserably to Kaidoh, "she wouldn't listen to me."

* * *

"Argh! Fuji-senpai, what happened to your face – wait, you're a girl," Momo cried, looking confused. Kaidoh had looked away and told Anaya, "Ten more steps and you're at the door." Suzume had nearly sobbed at his unhelpful manner but Anaya had unexpectedly followed his instructions without a word.

Now, she looked at nobody while the nurse wiped the blood off her face to see how deep the cut ran. Her blank face was scary.

"What happened to your face?" the nurse asked, shaking her head.

"It's all my fault!" Suzume interrupted, as Anaya opened her mouth. Suzume was sitting on the chair near the door with Momo. Kaidoh was leaning against the doorframe. Anaya was sitting on the patient's bed pushed against the wall.

"I – the penknife – "

"Nothing happened," Anaya cut through smoothly, sounding unimpressed by Suzume's attempts to clear the air.

While she lied, four people had very different thoughts running through their minds.

_Her voice is hoarser than most girls_, Momo thought, _she reminds me of Echizen, that bored voice_.

Kaidoh thought, _She's obviously related to Fuji-senpai… they have the same calm aura, as if nothing can break them._

_Why is she hiding the penknife incident?_ Suzume thought fearfully, _Poor Madoka, she ran out of the toilet as soon as she saw the blood. I know it looks bad but she'll be feeling horrified for throwing that file now…_

_Penknife?_ snorted the school nurse. _Goodness, I hope it's not contaminated._

Anaya closed her eyes. Everyone was staring at her. It hurt to talk, but she was hardly feeling sociable now anyway.

"The cut is not deep enough to need stitches," the school nurse said, "but it sliced your cheek like it was cheese, scraping the surface skin. You're going to find it painful to open your mouth in the next few days."

"Good," Anaya said. She touched her cheek. It was covered with white cotton padding.

The school nurse looked at her, satisfied. "You can leave now."

Anaya slipped off the bed and walked towards the door. With her hand on the doorknob and her head down, she started to speak. "Suzume-chan, go and find Madoka-chan."

"Hai," Suzume cried. It was a total reversal of roles; the instructor and the follower. Suzume had a strict code of principles. If she broke one of them, she considered it necessary to make up to the person for as long as it took to be forgiven. Hurting others was against her principles. But Anaya was never a fast forgiver. _It looks like I'm going to be her slave for life. _

Anaya twisted the doorknob open. "Arigatou, Kaidoh-senpai." The second-year stepped back from the door, but he did not know whether it was instinctively out of surprise or respect.

"And Momo-senpai, my name is Anaya Katzuhata." She stepped out of the door and was gone.

The three remaining students sat still in shock. The school nurse tsked. "That girl has a commanding air. She would be a very good leader." She cast an eye at the unmoving students.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, SITTING THERE? ARE YOU WAITING FOR AN INVITATION? GO ON, OUT OF THE DOOR, SHOO!" The school nurse tsked again as they scrambled out of the door. "I swear, students these days are getting dumb and dumber."

* * *


	9. Chapter 9: The News Came Out

**Chapter Nine: The News Came Out**

Encounters; Inui and Kawamura, and a surprise at the end

* * *

Inui flipped through a dark blue encyclopedia. A cloud of dust prevented his face from being seen. "Ii data," Inui muttered, "I was 100% correct. Pink dolphin is indeed a peach-flavoured mineralized water bottled for consumption. Blue dolphins on the other hand are authentic dolphins though the question of it being for consumption is still debatable…"

Kawamura stood beside him, scratching the back of his hand. "Inui-san, is this really necessary? It's just a simple science project and we can do a… exploding volcano, instead of real dolphins."

Inui watched Kawamura lean back against the library shelf as he continued talking. "We can't actually do dolphins, Inui-san, we would need an actual dolphin for the experiment part." Kawamura's face coloured up slightly as he realized he was talking more than usual. "What do you think?"

Inui adjusted the spectacles on his nose. "From your calculated weight and the angle of the books leaning on the shelf, I predict a 78% chance the books will soon fall off from the top shelf and into the space behind it."

"Ahh?!?" Kawamura looked up. The books, as if on command, wobbled and fell off. They made a strange _'thunk'_ sound. Suddenly, the shadows behind the shelf began to move slightly and dust clouds appeared at the lower shelves.

"What is that?" Kawamura asked anxiously. The two third-years looked at the bottom row of shelves. Inui usually had dozens of theories at hand but this time, he was at a lost for words.

* * *

When Anaya was released from the nurse's care, the first thing she did was change her clothes. She borrowed the girl's tennis club uniform, which was the only thing Sakuno had. Since Sakuno was the only person still in class, Anaya agreed to wear it.

The school had recently changed the girl's tennis team's uniform, supposedly at Akira Tanaka's request. Akira Tanaka was a singles player on the regular team and had a great deal of influence, because she was the sole child of a very wealthy businessman. _At least_, Anaya thought, _she had a sensible fashion style_.

Then, Anaya went to the school library. She loved its quietness, and the fact nearly nobody ventures into it since 98% of the school's population never remembers it exists. She had already explored the library and found another haven, like the one on top of the playground's roof. There was a fairly comfortable space behind the encyclopedia shelf for a person to stretch her legs and sleep.

She was sleeping right now, trying to recall a match against Seigaku two weeks ago. All she remembered was it was the Kanto Tournament finals where two schools would proceed to the final round.

As she slept, the ground shook slightly as thick heavy books fell around her. Something hit her straight on the head.

* * *

"I think," remarked Inui suddenly, "that there might be a person on the other side of the shelf." He closed his blue notebook.

Kawamura was already walking to the side of the shelf. He stumbled backwards almost immediately. He gripped the table for support.

"Ii data," Inui muttered, "Kawamura is acting suspiciously like a psychologically challenged patient."

Kawamura swallowed. "I think I just killed a little girl."

* * *

Inui and Kawamura looked at the brunette. She had a white collared t-shirt which said "Seigaku Girl's Team" with red, blue and white stripes on the sleeves, and a short skirt with several shades of blue woven into it.

"We can only be 27% sure that she is dead unless we take her pulse."

"We can't just leave her there!"

"No, we can't."

There was another short silence.

"Do you want to go first?"

"If I really killed her, and I read her dead pulse, I would leave fingerprints."

"That would cause a 82% chance that you were the prime suspect for murder."

"Exactly!"

Another pause.

"Inui-san, you weren't planning on this to make me look like a murderer, did you?"

"No but you have to admit, it's an interesting science experiment."

"Inui-san! She's moving."

"Ah, that increases the chance that she is alive to 92%."

"Why 92%?"

"You see, when a person is dead, there is bacteria in the body which decomposes it which makes the muscles move as it gets broken down."

Then, the dead person snapped open her sharp blue eyes and suddenly began to scream.

* * *

Almost instantly, Anaya slapped both hands onto her mouth. For the past two weeks, she would always scream herself awake. She had never taken a nap before and it seemed it worked the same way.

She got up and brushed the dust away from her clothes. Her ponytail was loose – the book had fallen on her hair and snapped the rubber band. She tied her hair up again, her eyes blurry as she saw the memory vividly. It was a piece of her match against Cheri Sakamoto.

_The yellow tennis ball bounced up and down the blonde's hand. The rain poured down heavily, the match should be stopped soon. Suddenly, the tennis ball richoted off the edge of the racket and flew straight into her face, for the dozenth time in the row._

She remembered the burning feeling. What was this – violent tennis?

"Ahh… Fuji-san… Are you all right?" Kawamura asked. Anaya shook her head and concentrated on her surroundings.

_Why are they looking at me as if I resurrected from the dead?_

"I'm fine, Kawamura-senpai." Anaya saw Inui whip out another blue book. _The guy who called me Fuji Doppleganger._

_I'm tired of riddles. _

"Inui-senpai," Anaya said, "can you tell me more about Cheri Sakamoto?"

Inui's spectacles glinted. "On two conditions."

Kawamura looked uncomfortable. "Inui-san, she's just a kid and she nearly died."

As Anaya gave him a bewildered look, Inui continued. "One; you have to provide me with information for yourself. It's exceedingly difficult to get information on a Fuji family member, even Yuuta Fuji, though that may be because Mizuki-san hides him. There is approximately 0.1% chance on an encounter like this to happen again."

"Yeah," Anaya said. He lost her halfway through his lecture, though the mention of her cousin perked her up.

"Two; you need to try my Inui Juice Special Remedy For Girls."

Kawamura nearly fainted. "Inui-san! Do you want to kill her again so fast?"

"Yeah," agreed Anaya again.

Inui smiled. Kawamura was no data man but he thought the boy's tennis team had its number of sadistic club members increased by one just then.

* * *

Kawamura watched Inui and Anaya sit across the table from one another, looking as though they were challenging each other. Anaya started to feel her cheerful self become dominant again.

"We'll play it this way, I'll give you a piece of information about myself and you tell me what I want to know and this goes on and on until we're both satisfied," Anaya said.

"Okay," Inui said, his spectacles glinting, "there is a 100% chance that Kawamura thinks this is silly."

Kawamura sighed. "I'm here so that the both of you won't kill each other at the end of it."

Inui opened his blue notebook and leaned back against his chair. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Anaya Katzuhata," Anaya replied, "Who is Cheri Sakamoto?"

"Cheri Sakamoto," Inui recited, "third year student. Rumored to be Tezuka's girlfriend at one point at the beginning of the year because she was the prettiest girl in the year and Tezuka's popularity was high because of it was the start of the tennis prefecturals. Tezuka squashed the idea straight away. Are you related to Fuji Syusuke?"

"I'm his cousin," Anaya said, "but I look like him because his father is my father's twin and I look like my father. How does Sakamoto-san look like?"

"1.78m tall, taller than an average fourteen-year-old," Inui said, "She had long black hair in a ponytail and pale skin. Nobody knows the true colour of her eyes because she regularly wears different-coloured contact lenses but Fuji once said she had brown eyes when she was eight-years-old in grade school. Do you play tennis?"

"I've played tennis all my life – I was from Hyotei Girl's Tennis School Team at the beginning of the year. I played Singles Three-"

"-and therefore you played Cheri Sakamoto. The legendary battle started and the outcome of the match will be declared at 9 o'clock tonight."

Anaya stared. "Yes," she said, "but I can't remember the battle. What happened?"

Inui coughed. He liked collecting data but he had sufficient information to pull her life background story now that he knew her name and old school. And after all, what was the use of data if he did not use it?

"Apparently, it was a violent match. Sakamoto has a violent style of tennis when her precise technique and height advantage is not enough to win. This has only happened twice before; once with the previous captain of the girl's team when Sakamoto was a freshman and when Sakamoto played Tezuka when there were captain try-outs last year. Both times she stopped after one game when it was obvious she would lose."

"I was losing then?"

"However, two weeks ago, she persisted when the score was 5-0 to her and it was match point. The player from Hyotei, which is you, lost consciousness but her team declared it was foul play. Seigaku protested it was because of the heavy rain – a condition which meant the match should have stopped ages ago. Therefore the results were postponed for two weeks to clear the unusually bad weather as well as to bring the matter to the board of directors."

"How violent could her tennis be," Anaya muttered, "for me to lose consciousness?"

"One well-aimed ball will do the trick," Inui answered automatically, eventhough he knew it was a rhetorical question. "However I heard it was several and spanned twenty minutes. You lost a game when you lost consciousness."

"This Sakamoto girl," Anaya pressed, "is she nice?"

"She's 78% evil, 90% quiet, 100% beautiful," quoted Inui.

"Inui-san, she's not that evil."

"I initially calculated 89%," Inui said, "but I reduced it on account of females being relatively more vicious than males when angered."

Anaya spluttered into silence.

* * *

Anaya walked to the school bus stop in the rain. It was already 8.50pm. Tennis practice ended twenty minutes ago but Fuji probably took a ride with Yumiko.

"Tezuka-san!" said Anaya. Sitting at the bus stop, reading a book, was Tezuka. He was alone, changed into his school uniform, with his school bag and tennis racket bag leaning against the metal bench.

Tezuka looked up from his book. Anaya was listening to the radio with her earpiece. She did not scream or wave a signature book like most of the school's female population, so Tezuka thought it was safe to stay where he was. Then, his memory sparked.

"Anaya-chan," he said, "Fuji told me about you." Anaya sat next to him and folded her legs. Though the bench was narrow, she balanced herself easily.

"He told you about me?" Anaya asked, surprised, "He never tells anyone about me. But he told me a lot about you."

Tezuka looked at Anaya. She sounded sad, as if something bad was about to happen.

"He told me about the Seigaku Boy's Tennis Team every time I dropped by his house," she said, "because he knew I'd be interested."

She seemed to be talking to herself, distracted by what she was hearing on the radio. She overturned her pockets and pressed loudspeaker on the handphone.

"Following the girl's tennis scene in middle school, the two-week long dispute between the singles three match with Hyotei's freshman Anaya Katzuhata and Seigaku's captain Cheri Sakamoto has been resolved. The management board has verified the match to be won by Katzuhata as it was in her lead 5-0. Seigaku has been charged with violent play by Sakamoto. Eventhough both teams emerge as the two finalists for the Nationals in the region, Seigaku has been shown up with a freshman beating the seeded school's captain in a love match."

Tezuka knew the words "Don't let your guard down" as if it was tattooed onto the palm of his hands and yet when Anaya's mouth opened slightly at the news, he felt sorry for her. The younger girl wiped her eyes with the heel of her palms.

"Great," Anaya said quietly, "now the whole school will hate me." Tezuka offered a tissue to her.

"The school won't hate you," he said calmly.

"No," Anaya admitted, "the female population will. Females are apparently more vicious than males when they are angered, by 84%."

She laughed slightly. The bus rolled to a stop, she boarded it. "Good night, Tezuka-san." And she was gone.

Tezuka stared at the bus. _That girl knew me by name, received shocking news, quoted Inui to me and laughed. She_ is_ Fuji's cousin. _

_She brings a whole new level to Don't Let Your Guard Down._

A/N: This is not going to end well for Anaya. There, she's met the whole cast of regulars on her own terms, I wonder how they would think of her when they see her tennis. How will the school take the news of being humiliated by a first year?

* * *


	10. Chapter 10: Cheri Sakamoto's Reaction

**Chapter Ten: Cheri Sakamoto's Reaction**

_Run, run as fast as you can_

_I'm going to kill you_

_- a tennis fan_

* * *

**Later that night**

Fuji Syusuke was sitting down at his desk in his bedroom, trying to do algebra while his mind kept wandering to his cousin. _Damn, Anaya, where are you?_

He and Yumiko went straight home from tennis practice and college lessons respectively. They had expected Anaya to be sitting on the steps of the staircase facing the front door, doing her homework, as she often did after she arrived home to an empty house.

The whole house was dark.

Fuji Yoshiko had left in the morning to stay with her husband in another country while he had one of his rare weekend breaks from work. Yumiko was left in charge, and Fuji left his sister tapping her fingertips on the kitchen table with the police on speed dial.

A familiar ringtone echoed and Fuji flipped open his handphone. Tezuka had sent a text message to him. _That's strange._ Tezuka never texted for personal use but spontaneous tennis practices scheduled was usually left to Oishi or Inui to spread the message to the rest of the team.

**I saw Anaya-chan at the bus stop. News of match with Sakamoto came out. Seigaku lost to the freshman.**

It was obvious that Fuji had lost concentration when he wrote the answer to the algebra problem on his English worksheet.

Fuji understood what the news meant to Anaya. He tried to put himself in his cousin's shoes for the sake of knowing where she might have gone.

His eyes drifted to the text message again. _Anaya, there is no bus stop near our house. Tezuka lives far away from us – why did you go to the same bus stop as him? Where did you go?_

The tensai closed his eyes and put his brain to work.

_Obviously you're happy. _The girl hated to lose and have never done so in the past few years. All her matches with Fuji were mysteriously ended early – whether it was because of the sudden arrival of his brother or Anaya smelt cookies being baked and ran away. "Which is more important, Yuke-chan? More sweat which means you have more laundry to do or chocolate cookies melting in your mouth?" she would say scornfully. But most of the time they were head-to-head in points.

_And you're terrified. _Yesterday, she told him about the Ryoma-loving Fanclub which apparently were mostly girls from the recreational tennis team. If they found out that their buchou had lost to a freshman who also seemed to threaten their Ryoma, they would make her life a living hell. It probably would not last long but the real question was: how long did they need before they wiped Anaya off the face of the earth?

_You're probably confused. _Anaya had already told her doctor she had no recollections of the car accident she was in, that killed both her parents, two weeks ago. She was more relieved than upset at this fact. But now with the tennis match being held on the same morning – how could she defend herself with no knowledge of the situation?

Fuji thought and laughed quietly at the last thought. It made him relax his shoulders and close his handphone dismissively. _If I know you, you would be plotting an elaborate and sadistic way to pay back the people who now hate you._

Last year, on her birthday when Fuji pulled a prank on her by tricking her into calling a dating agency, she had laughed it off along with him. A few days later, a call girl knocked on their door. "I'm looking for a Yuke-chan," she drawled, "apparently a Anaya K. wants you to have _just as much fun_ as she had."

Anaya had chosen a day when his whole family was at home and he had difficulty explaining the presence of a call girl on his doorstep.

There was a knock on his door. Yumiko pushed open the door. "Syusuke, I'm worried about Anaya," she said anxiously.

"Don't worry," he replied, smiling reassuringly, "She's all right. She's probably outside the front door right now."

Like a ghost, they suddenly heard a distant screech. The two siblings looked at each other.

"Open up!" yelled a familiar voice, "I tripped over a stupid cactus and I'm bleeding all over!"

Fuji beamed._ Mystery solved._

* * *

**The Next Day (in school)**

Anaya held the basketball in her hands and looked around quickly for a player to pass it to. That was difficult. The physical education teacher had split up the class into girls and boys, so that only sixteen people were on the basketball courts. Even worse – her team consisted of female army members who obviously heard the news of the match as well.

The only person she could trust was Rei Nakamura, the class chairperson. Rei was blocked by her own teammates.

"I suppose I'll have to try and shoot a three-pointer," Anaya muttered to herself. She sighed.

She held the basketball over her head. _I miss Ryoma. _Her eyes suddenly opened wide, revealing her sharp blue eyes. The girls defending her backed away instinctively for a second from surprise. _God, did I just think that?_

She took advantage of the weak defense to aim at the net. With a smooth jump, she shot the three-pointer easily.

The teacher clapped her hands for attention. "That was good work, Katzuhata. Girls – why aren't you moving so that Katzuhata can pass you the ball? It's almost like you don't want her to go near you!"

Anaya wiped the sweat from her forehead. _You have no idea, sensei._

"Since all of you seem so passive today, let's wrap this period up with a game of dodge ball. That ought to keep your spirits up!"

"No!" Anaya cried. She slapped both hands onto her mouth immediately and looked around warily. Twelve pairs of eyes shifted to Anaya and cruel smiles spread across many people's faces.

"Sensei," said Rei, trying to keep the peace, "Wouldn't it be better if we had a break instead?" Rei shot a glance at Anaya, the other girl was too busy trying not to choke to send an appreciative glance back.

"Good idea, Nakamura. All of you can have five minutes for break, but those who want to play dodge ball can help me gather more balls in the mean time."

To the teacher's surprise, twelve girls volunteered almost instantly.

"They're all smiling, they look so happy," thought the teacher. "It's good to have the young ones enthusiastic about sports again."

* * *

Rei pulled Anaya aside while the teacher and the female army stalked off to find weapons of mass destruction (dodge balls). Sakuno pulled Tomoka from joining them and firmly led her friend to the water bottles.

"Anaya-kun," Rei said doubtfully. "You can go off now and say you have a stomach ache. I don't mind covering for you."

"Really, chairperson," snapped Anaya, "resorting to trickery?"

Rei looked shocked – then hurt – then angry. "Listen, Katzuhata," growled Rei, pointing her finger into Anaya's face. "There are girls coming now with the balls, both dodge balls and balls of courage, to smash your pretty face! So unless, you're suicidal, take my advice!"

_No wonder Rei is chairperson, _Anaya thought, sweat-dropping, _she's scary when she's mad._

Anyhow, it was too late.

"All right girls, try to hit a target as accurately as possible."

_What kind of sick and twisted advice is that?!? _Anaya panicked and paled. Twelve bodies shifted into her direction.

"Ready? Go!"

Anaya ducked as twelve balls went flying towards her.

* * *

"She passed out."

"Good riddance."

"I don't she can come for music lesson."

"She shouldn't have touched our Ryoma-sama and upset Sakamoto-buchou anyway!"

A murmur of agreement echoed. "Hear, hear."

"Is anybody going to tell Sakamoto-buchou? She did tell us to update her once we did something to Katzuhata."

"Talking to Sakamoto-buchou when she's this angry? Are you nuts?"

"Speaking of nuts, I'm hungry."

"Huh, that was random."

"Shhh… Sensei is coming!"

"Why are you all crowded around the poor girl? All of you move! Aiming at her – anyone would think it was an awful conspiracy! Go to class now, I'll take her to the school nurse."

* * *

"Good, you're awake. It took you ten minutes to regain consciousness." The PE teacher nodded at Anaya.

"I'm seeing you far too often now," the school nurse said sternly, "two times in your three days in school?"

Anaya groaned. _You might see me more often now but don't worry, I'll be sending people _here_ soon enough._

"How long does it take for school to end?"

"Five more hours."

"There, she fainted again."

* * *

**In the third year class**

Akira Tanaka ran into class, her dark hair flying behind her. "Cheri-chan!" Akira said excitedly, "I just heard from Madoka-chan that the freshman girl is in the nurse room again!" The third year put her hand onto her hip and smiled. She loved unexpected turns like this.

Cheri Sakamoto sat on her desk precariously, running her fingers through her long jet black ponytail. "Good," she said flatly, "that brat deserves it. That's only her first visit there by us anyway."

Akira widened her eyes. "You plan on _more_?"

"More?" spat Cheri. "I'll make her want to get expelled just to get out of the school."

A voice spoke up from behind her. "One's suffering is another one's pleasure, hmm?" Cheri looked around. Fuji had looked up, unsmiling, with his eyes open and directed towards her.

Cheri tried not to let her face show how her heart leaped when her crush of several years talked directly to her. "She deserved it," she said, her voice hardening, "I won't let a Hyotei freshman show me up, especially not at a National level! She'll pay for it."

"But you started it," Fuji replied, "when you started using violent tennis on her."

The class quietened down as they stared at the two people like... well, as if they were in a tennis match. The blatant hostility shown by Fuji was now mutual. Cheri slid off the table and walked to Fuji's, and slammed her palm down his table. She leaned closer so that their conversation was more private.

"Listen, Fuji-san," she whispered fiercely, "what does that girl mean to you anyway? So I might have used some hard play. _Big deal._ I don't care if you're a regular on the boy's tennis team, I'm the _captain_ of the girl's team and I refuse to be shown up by a freshman brat. Got it? She doesn't belong in our school anyway - she defeated us and now she wants to join us? What's the _big deal_? It's none of your business how I exact my revenge."

"It's a big deal," Fuji said, his voice clear for the entire class to hear, "when that _freshman brat_ is my younger cousin."

Jaws dropped around the classroom. Akira's brown eyes sparkled at this new information and ran out of the classroom to spread the news. Cheri stepped back as if he personally punched her.

"I'll make your cousin suffer," Cheri said quietly, "for destroying my reputation. I'm the laughing stock of the nation, Fuji-san. The seeded captain of Seigaku, shown up by a Hyotei freshman. Then I'll challenge her to a match and we'll see whether my style of tennis is your concern or not."

Fuji gave her the full extent of his glare. Cheri folded her arms defiantly, but her fingers trembled. "Anaya will win the match again."

Cheri was prevented from answering (yelling) by the arrival of the teacher.

* * *

Avaron Miura, the vice-captain of the Seigaku Girl's Tennis Team, looked at the furious captain sitting a few rows forward. Cheri Sakamoto had too much pride stuffed in her pretty head. Avaron understood her thirst for revenge, but if it was her own way, this revenge would not be so publicised. Still, with Akira Tanaka as your best friend, it would be hard for it not to. Cheri was really serious about a rematch. _I wonder when Cheri will initiate it._

The vice-captain looked down at her books, but spoke to the stoic boy beside her. "It looks like our teams are about to clash," Avaron said quietly.

Tezuka Kunimitsu barely looked up. "Yes."

* * *

A/N: Now you see a small extent on the first year's revenge on Anaya; you haven't seen the second years, and third years, and more personal revenges. You haven't seen any comebacks yet either. The question is: Will there be?

There is an introduction of the Seigaku Girl's Tennis Team. They are well alive in this series, and you've a glimpse of their personalities. See what more you can make out of them later on.

**Introduction to Seigaku Girl's Tennis Team** (met)

Cheri Sakamoto (captain) - 3rd year

Avaron Miura (vice-captain) - 3rd year

Akira Tanaka - 3rd year

Madoka Abe - 1st year

Suzume Satou - 1st year

Please review the chapter! Tell me how you feel about the turn of events - and any sadistic schemes you can plot for Anaya and Cheri.


	11. Chapter 11: Revenge and Other Thoughts

**Chapter Eleven: Revenge and Other Thoughts**

_You mess with me, I mess you back_

_In your life, your fans, your tennis skills you lack._

_Katzuhata A._

* * *

**In the second year class**

Momo leaned his chin on his hand and sighed, staring opposite across the room. His desk partner rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Momo," Yuka Takanashi said in an irritated voice. "If you really like Megume-chan, you should just go up and tell her."

Momo gave Yuka an incredulous look. He folded his arms and leaned against his chair. "I can't do that," Momo said, sounding sad and wistful, "I can't do that at all."

Yuka looked in the direction of Megume Itou. She had her head bent over her workbook, her hand flying across the pages as she finished one sum after another. She was not especially good in any subject but math – her fast thinking enabled her to be advanced in her class.

Her role as a fast thinker was enormously useful when she and Yuka played doubles in a tennis match in Seigaku Girl's Tennis Team as well.

"Why not?"

"How do _I_ tell her?!?" repeated Momo, as if she just told him to grow another hand.

Yuka sighed again. _Yes, tell her, baka. Sometimes I think you're as stupid as Kaidoh-san says you are. _

"Telling her," Yuka emphasized, "you know, opening your mouth – no, not like that, you look like a goldfish – and using your vocal cords. Do re mi. On second thoughts, your voice is annoying, so ignore that."

"This is your version of boosting my self-esteem?" Momo cried. He leaned back on his chair so that it rocked on its back two legs and held his table with his right hand so that he would not topple.

"Yes, Momoshiro, do you have something to say?" interrupted the teacher crisply.

"Eh?! Ah… No, sensei," Momo said, apologizing hurriedly. The teacher turned his back to the class. "Before we continue, I would like to add, Momoshiro, that I heard your comment. In my personal view, if your self-esteem increases, the end of the world is near."

The look of surprise on Momo's face was enough for Yuka to erupt in laughter. Her infectious laughter spread through the rest of the class. The increasing hue of red in his cheeks rapidly accelerated when he noticed Megume laughing as well. Yuka caught her friend's gaze and smiled.

"I'm going to kill you, Yuka-chan," Momo whispered under the cover of his hand, his gaze still on his teacher in case he turned around.

"No, you can't," countered Yuka, "Your source of food is gone if I'm gone. I buy your burgers for you most of the time after school, remember? By force, I might add."

Momo remembered. "That's not fair, not fair at all." He used his right hand to rub his temple – and let go of the table.

"Argh!"

"Momo, you idiot." Yuka leapt out of her seat as her partner crashed to the floor.

A low hiss came from the desk directly behind them. "Fshuu, baka."

"Nande?!?" Even when he was picking himself up from the floor - "The viper has new tennis shoes" - he managed to reply.

"Momoshiro!"

Poor Momo was not having a good day.

* * *

Anaya had distracted the school nurse when she woke up. She created a fuss and slipped a fake note on top of her files. The note summoned the nurse to the other side of the school. She had a five minute window to carry out her plan.

Anaya passed the second-year classroom, sneaking to the third-year classroom where she knew it would be empty. She had memorized Fuji's schedule by heart so that she knew how to avoid him during school hours. The third-years would be exploding chemicals in the science lab now.

_Exploding. What an apt word of what was going to happen later to them._

* * *

During break, when Momo was getting reprimanded for the dozenth time by their form teacher, Megume walked to Yuka's table.

Yuka admitted that even she saw why Momo would like Megume. The girl looked different in a good way – she had dark curly hair and dark eyes like a gypsy. It looked dramatic on her pale skin. She could make the green and pink uniform look like it was tailored for her.

"Momo was looking at you for most of the lesson," Yuka grumbled under her breath, as Megume pulled a chair so that she could sit opposite her. "It's awfully distracting."

Megume laughed. "Jealous, Yuka?"

Yuka widened her eyes and suddenly coughed. "Anyway," she said, as if Megume never said anything, "did you get the note from Sakamoto-buchou?"

"Get the note?" Megume said, snorting, "She spammed it across the entire school." She took out the pink sheet of paper from her file and spread it across the table.

_You've heard of the Hyotei freshman who transferred to Seigaku two days ago. Anaya Katzuhata. Make her life miserable until I can get a rematch from her. –Cheri Sakamoto_

Yuka tapped on the paper. "I heard she got hit by the first years already. This means she expects the next… ah… attack from us, second years."

Megume scoffed. "I'm not doing anything to that girl. It's not of my business."

"You can say that but we're not the only girls in class," Yuka reminded her.

There was a pause.

"You want us to step in if anything happens to her?"

"Well…yeah."

Megume eyed her friend suspiciously. Yuka was a friendly girl and got along with everyone. This was a bit too friendly - they barely knew the girl and they were playing the knights in shining armor?

"Yuka…Does this have something to do with Momo?"

"What?!?" yelped Yuka. Her face coloured up.

Megume started to smile, and she tapped her fingers on her chin. "I did hear him mentioning about a freshman girl who he saw in the nurse room yesterday… It might be the same girl."

Yuka glared at her. "This has nothing to do with Momo!"

"_What _has to do with me?"

"Speak of the devil," Megume said happily.

* * *

Momo had apparently reverted back to his cheerful self. He melted into the chair next to Kaidoh. "Sensei gave me one of his longest lectures _ever_."

"It was your fault," Kaidoh commented in his usual you-are-stupid tone. Before Momo could respond (their fights were legendary in class as well), Megume pressed on. "We were talking about Anaya Katzuhata, the freshman from Hyotei."

"I just saw her," Momo said, sounding faraway as he thought back. "She was outside the girl's bathroom when I left."

Yuka raised her eyebrow. "What is she doing here? The first years' classroom is in the level below ours; she needn't come up."

Then, the four students heard a great explosion.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry if Momo is slightly OC.

**Seigaku Girl's Tennis Team - names and positions (all met)**

3rd year - Cheri Sakamoto (captain)

3rd year - Avaron Miura (vice-captain)

3rd year - Akira Tanaka

2nd year - Doubles Pair 1: Yuka Takanashi

2nd year - Doubles Pair 1: Megume Itou

1st year - Doubles Pair 2: Madoka Abe

1st year - Doubles Pair 2: Suzume Satou

_Review the story and tell me what you want to happen next. Maybe I'll include it._


	12. Chapter 12: Reaction and Tennis

**Chapter Twelve: Reaction and Tennis**

_Inui Juice Girl Remix 2000 is healthy._

_You'll thank me for it,_

_if you're still conscious._

_There's a 0.92% chance of that happening._

_-Inui Sadaharu_

* * *

Ryoma walked down the corridor, his hands in his school jacket. He barely ventured to the upper floors of the school since the first year classrooms were conveniently located on the ground floor. He drew many looks from the second years that were still out of class during break, but he was barely aware of them. He was walking to the nurse's room, where he was supposed to escort his partner back to class. His form room teacher was concerned by her missing one period already.

He had heard about the girls throwing dodge balls at her. It was a tale spread throughout the school anyway. _I knew they were weird, but not sick and twisted._

_Are you okay, Anaya?_

There was only a single third year class in the second level of the school which was dominated by the second year classes, since the second year cohort was exceptionally small that year.

That third year class coincidentally had all of his regular seniors in it, except for Oishi, Inui and Kawamura. The three of them led a science course in a different class on the third level of the school.

That third year class had Cheri Sakamoto, Avaron Miura and Akira Tanaka in it.

The lights in that third year class suddenly blacked out just as Ryoma passed it, with a loud exploding sound.

* * *

Anaya was hidden behind a pillar near the deserted girl's bathroom. It was a blind spot where the CCTV cameras would not see her. Her blue eyes widened when she saw Ryoma walking down the school corridor as nonchalantly as a suspect for the crime to be committed in five seconds.

She glanced up at the camera and timed her movements. She moved in a blur, and dragged Ryoma away from straying too close to the classroom. As the explosions continued one after another, she pushed Ryoma into the girl's bathroom and locked the door.

* * *

Ryoma normally would have said "Mada mada dane" in stressful situations to convince himself it was indeed mada mada dane. However, his situation was too strange even by his usual standards.

He was locked in a girl's bathroom (painted pink with graffiti of a girl posing on the blank wall opposite him) with a girl who currently looked very different from his desk partner. Anaya had her long hair tied artistically into a short ponytail held by a wooden stick she found in the nurse's room. She had blue-black bruises all over her white skin, presumably from the aggressive PE lesson in the morning.

She was glaring at him in a very annoyed way for a second, before she suddenly lunged forwards and hugged him.

It was very brief, for about two seconds, before she let go and broke into a smile. "I did it, Ryoma," she said in an excited whisper, "I got back at that commander general! Haha!"

_Obviously she had been hit in the head with a ball; she seems to act crazier than usual._

This unspoken thought must have been reflected in his face because Anaya calmed herself down after that. She took out the wooden stick from her hair and tied it properly while explaining her genius plan to him.

"You must have heard the news that I beat Sakamoto in a match two weeks ago in the Tokyo Prefecturals," she said. "So apparently she sent a message to all the girls in the school to exact revenge on me while she plotted to take a proper match off me. I saw this from Sakuno's note – she showed it to me before PE."

If Anaya was unhappy about the school exacting revenge on her, she did not show it. On the contrary, her face glowed as if it was the best thing that happened in her life.

"So this morning our dear classmates showered me with balls."

"I've heard about that."

"Really? Okay, that saves a lot of explaining. So anyway yesterday I was thinking on how I could get back to them if necessary," Anaya continued.

Ryoma leaned back against the wall and pulled his hat out of his hair so that he could look at her properly. _She is fast._

"And?"

"I went to a shop far away from my house last night to get some firecrackers. I wrapped it like a present. I did some research and it is Akira Tanaka's birthday tomorrow so it would not seem weird if there was an early birthday present in the classroom. This morning, I put it in the mess pile at the back of the class where the art students dumped their drama costumes. It's timed to go off right now so I stood by just in case something happened."

Ryoma was reduced to silence for a while as he digested the information.

"Then why did the lights go out?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Anaya's smile fell off her face and she cleared her throat. "The firecrackers were pretty near a switch and I think it short-circuited the whole class."

Ryoma still had questions. He smirked as he thought of the most obvious one. "How exactly is this revenge? You didn't actually harm Sakamoto in any way."

Anaya snorted. "Harmed? You have a twisted mind. I'm not that evil. Cheri Sakamoto is a drama queen – literally. That whole pile of drama clothes belongs to her and they were for an important drama audition tomorrow. She was planning to appeal to a prestigious high school overseas specializing in the arts and she really prepared for it."

Anaya held up her left hand. Ryoma noticed with a frown it was covered with scratches. She ticked off her fingers on by one as she counted Cheri's hard efforts into the auditions.

"Number one; she couldn't buy her way into the school because it is a really uptight school only accepting the best.

Number two; she can't find a replacement for those clothes by tomorrow because they were specially tailored at a huge price in France.

Number three; she was relying on drama for her future hopes since she is obviously hopeless in studies and probably tennis.

Number four; she cannot blame anyone but herself because the firecrackers are burnt to ashes and burnt most of her clothes so there is no evidence of foul play.

Number five; she deserved it."

Ryoma just gazed at Anaya as her sharp blue eyes were opened and gleamed with determination. "You ruined her life."

"No, I didn't." Anaya sighed and sat down on the floor. Ryoma looked uncomfortably at the pink floor tiles (why was it so pink?) and sat down as well.

"You're so naïve, Ryoma," she sighed, "that girl is bloody rich, she can reconstruct her life as fast as this." She snapped her fingers, a single sound like a gunshot echoed. "I just interrupted one stage in her life and she deserved it. You've never gone to school with half of the students giving you scathing looks like me. She's told everyone to make my life miserable so I'll make her life hell. Then we'll settle this in a tennis match."

"Why would you do so much?" grunted Ryoma. His green eyes stared at her, partially hidden by his jet black hair falling past them. There was confusion, worry, disturbance, but under all that, secret admiration. It was the same feeling he had when Fuji pulled another of his tricks on one of the regulars. It seemed like Anaya inherited Fuji's likeness for sadistic schemes.

"For myself. I'm not going to be still like a sitting duck while Sakamoto and her gang of giggling girls fire at me. I'm going to fight so that they won't mess with me again."

* * *

**In the science lab**

Fuji held the stopwatch in his hand, the bubbling experiment set up in front of him. He had completed the assignment a long time ago – he was just proving the theory for the third time in the row. He should have stopped the stopwatch a long time ago but he barely noticed. He was looking at Cheri.

Cheri was sitting on the wooden stool like it was a throne, filing her nails. Once in a while, she would glance at the experiment done by her partner, who was one of her adoring fans. Fuji knew that Cheri had plenty of potential – with just that glance; she could correct the experiment when her incompetent partner would make a mistake. And it was very difficult to correct an experiment when it went wrong.

How do you correct a mindset when it went wrong?

"Fujiko," Eiji said, putting his hands on his friend's shoulders and peeping over his shoulder to look at their experiment. "Why is it taking the ice twelve minutes to melt in boiling water?"

Startled, Fuji turned back to the experiment. "Saa… you're right. Sorry Eiji, I think this experiment failed."

"Nya, it's alright, we've done the experiment three times already." Eiji looked at Fuji's unsmiling face and his own smile dropped off his face.

"Are you alright, nya?"

Fuji's smile returned to its usual place but it could hardly fool his friend. "I'm alright."

Eiji looked over Fuji's shoulder again, and said, "Fujiko, is it normal for the glass to turn red at the bottom and shake like that?"

The test tube was cracking. Fuji quickly turned off the flame.

"Is it about what Cheri-chan said in the morning?" Eiji asked. He might act oblivious, but he could process what his sharp eyes caught. And what he saw was a distracted Fuji looking deep in thought.

Fuji's head shot up and he was about to reply when their science teacher snapped his handphone shut and rapped the nearest table for their attention.

"Switch off all your burners now."

"But sensei-"

"We're not done-"

"We still have twenty minutes left!"

The teacher stayed silent and his black look was enough. Soon, all the hissing of the flames ceased.

"What do you think happened, nya?" whispered Eiji.

"Something bad."

"I just received a call from your home room teacher. There has been an accident in your classroom; a few cups of water have been found near the electric socket at the back of the class and apparently it dripped because it short-circuited the class."

There were several interested faces but even more bored ones. One person muttered, "Great, now we'll be sweating for the rest of the afternoon."

"You're not to return to your class until the end of the period while the teachers look at the main electric grid. Meanwhile, some belongings at the back of the class have been burnt."

Everyone turned to Cheri, who paled significantly. She had been boasting of her tailored clothes for the past few weeks.

The teacher checked his text messages and read out loud from the list. "A blue dress, a feathered hat, several shawls, a sword…"

Before he could continue, a wooden stool scraped back against the floor, making the screeching sound fingernails make when they are scratched against a blackboard. "Sakamoto-san, where do you think you're going?"

"They're _my_ things!" burst out Cheri, looking undignified and livid, standing up by herself in the class. "All of them! I need them!"

"I just informed you they were badly burnt-" the teacher broke off and looked at the text message. "What on earth are you doing with feathered hats and a _sword_?"

A few snickers resounded around the classroom. They grew in volume when Cheri started blushing furiously. She sat down again. "They're for a drama audition."

"Drama?" the teacher asked. "Aren't you in tennis?" The teacher was an old man and he was well-known for speaking out his thoughts bluntly. "Perhaps you think your tennis skills isn't enough… weren't you beaten by a first-year?"

The laughter increased. But suddenly, two people started sitting up straighter.

_First-year! That brat – I know it's her! My clothes! My parents are going to be absolutely furious when they find out I destroyed the props. I was counting on it – oh, how does she know it was so important?!? She's the tensai's cousin after all… Oh that brat, I'm going to kill her._

_Anaya, you awful child. You're absolutely brilliant._

* * *

**In the first year classroom**

By the end of the day, Anaya had added to her collection of bruises, twenty hate letters, twelve emotional blackmails and limitless black looks. She was about to spam out a very rude poem she wrote about what she thought about them when she sneezed twice, and heard a distinct howl of anger.

Ryoma heard her sneeze. "Someone is thinking of you," he commented.

"Yeah."

"Must be what you did."

"I think so too."

* * *

**At the tennis courts**

"First-years, practice your swings in the two courts at the end. Non-regulars, do the usual warm-ups before holding practice matches for an hour. Regulars, twenty laps warm-up," Tezuka addressed the ensemble.

"Hai!"

As Ryoma turned to begin his rounds, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. "Fuji-senpai."

"Have you seen Anaya?"

Ryoma shrugged nonchalantly. "Ryuzaki-sensei asked her to come to the staffroom right after school."

Fuji nodded in thanks, and looked up to the administrative block at the second level where Ryuzaki-sensei's staffroom was.

* * *

Ryuzaki-sensei cleared her throat. Anaya's awkwardness was radiating strongly, drawing interested glances from the teachers around her. The school prided itself in its sports strength and the tennis scene was one of the school's hot topics.

"I'm sure you've heard the outcome of the match," started Ryuzaki-sensei.

"Obviou- I mean, yes."

"I don't think you're feeling very welcomed by our girl's tennis team right now."

"No."

"Are you still interested in playing tennis for your school?"

"Yes." Ryuzaki-sensei looked up in surprise, and her wrinkled face broke into a smile.

"Is that so? We can arrange the administrative matters-"

"I'm sorry, sensei, you don't understand me."

More surprise. Ryuzaki-sensei stopped herself and leaned back against her chair. "There isn't much to understand with the simple 'yes' and 'no' you've been giving me."

"True," admitted Anaya. "I mean, I would only like to join the girl's tennis team if I've beaten all its players in an official match."

"Katzuhata, the third years especially are seasoned players. They may not seem very professional outside the courts-" Ryuzaki sighed "-but they've won the nationals two years in a row since they were first years."

"I didn't say it was logical." Anaya pinched her nose and looked around for an escape route. This teacher-student session was getting more intense than normal. "They do not take me at face value and none of them saw the match against Sakamoto-san."

Ryuzaki-sensei looked at her for a long time before she finally nodded. "I can arrange the matches in three days time," she said. "But first I want you to play against a few of our regulars on the boy's team."

For the first time, the first-year was taken off guard. "W-why?"

"There are at least fifty girls on the courts right now eventhough it is restricted," Ryuzaki-sensei said seriously, "and they won't take you to face value unless you play with one of the boys."

Anaya felt herself smiling for real. "When can I play?"

Ryuzaki-sensei stood up. "Now."

* * *

A/N: Please tell me your comments!


	13. Chapter 13: Just One Match

**Chapter Thirteen: Just One Match**

"_Mada mada dane."_

"_Baka."_

* * *

Ryuzaki-sensei called for her eight regulars, plus Inui. This was a relatively easy job given that most of them were unconscious on the ground.

"Inui…" Ryuzaki-sensei said, looking at the different shades of green on their faces.

"Ii data," muttered Inui, "I think I made the Inui Special Running Strengthener too strong… It must have been the ladybug's wings."

Tezuka and Fuji, the only two living human beings currently, blanched.

* * *

Ryuzaki-sensei hastily called them over before Tezuka could demand laps from his team manager and Fuji could plot another sadistic scheme.

"Tezuka, Fuji, we'll be taking a break from regular training today," Ryuzaki-sensei said. Fuji smiled. He could imagine Momo saying, "Sensei… you could have told us earlier and we didn't need to drink Inui's Juice…"

"-but I need your permissions."

"My permission?" repeated Fuji. "Why-" Then he caught sight of his younger cousin.

Anaya had changed out of her school uniform into a plain black t-shirt and a black sports skirt; the kind with shorts in them. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, dangling a long black feather dangerously close to Ryoma's nose. He seemed to be stirring awake, which was good news, because she had seen a lizard stroll past on the grass and was now wondering whether Ryoma had a phobia for lizards.

Suddenly Tezuka had a burning question. "Why is Katzuhata in the tennis courts, sensei?" he asked. His question was apparently popular because there were a lot of boo-ing and hissing going on amongst the fangirls at the sight of Anaya. The younger girl ignored them.

"She wants to join the girl's tennis team, but they won't take her seriously. If she played against any of our regulars though, people will be able to gauge her abilities accurately." As Ryuzaki-sensei explained this to Tezuka, Fuji was glaring fully at Anaya. She felt his gaze, turned around and saw the expression 'you're dead' on his face.

Anaya dropped the feather on Ryoma's face and walked towards Fuji. She stood beside him and scowled. "It's not _my_ fault you recommended Seigaku," she said, "now look at the mess I'm in!"

"I didn't blow up my classroom," Fuji said quietly, so that only Anaya could hear. The girl tried not to look surprised.

"Tezuka, this would be a good opportunity to strengthen the girl's team this year," Ryuzaki-sensei said. "We barely scraped through the last tournament. Our girls are getting complacent; maybe a new addition might motivate them."

Tezuka looked down at Anaya, she looked up at him. She was even smaller than Ryoma. He could see the well-toned muscles in her arms and legs, and her determination in her eyes.

"Anaya," Fuji said firmly, "are you sure you're well enough for this? Every individual in the team is strong. You cannot take chances."

"I know," Anaya said.

"I'm going to stop the match – doesn't matter if you're losing – if you show you're tired. Understand?"

"I do."

"You're forbidden to use _any_ of your moves."

"Whatever," Anaya said impatiently, "I'm not getting married, Yuke-chan."

Fuji sighed and put his hands into the pockets of his regular jacket. "She can play."

Tezuka had his answer ready as well. "If you lose your first match, you won't be given a second chance."

Anaya nodded.

"If you lose, you'll have to drink the Inui Juice Girl Remix 2000," said a deadpan voice, its owner appearing suddenly next to Anaya. Inui held out a bubbling red mixture which looked too similar to blood. A black congealed substance seemed to be floating in the middle of the jar the size of his hand.

"Ahh… That may be a problem," Anaya said nervously, stepping back.

"You did say in exchange for information on Sakamoto, you would drink one of my highly nutritious juices."

"Damn," Anaya mumbled. "I did."

* * *

When all the regulars were awake again, Ryuzaki-sensei repeated the reason for Anaya's presence.

"Nya, she's so cute, like ochibi!" cried Eiji, zipping all over Anaya. First he was in front of her, then he was behind, and suddenly he was across the courts pulling Oishi along.

"I'm not cute, Eiji-senpai," Ryoma muttered.

"Ahhh… is this the first sign of jealousy, Echizen?" Momo said knowledgeably.

"Fshuu."

Oishi stood in front of the girl he met the day before and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's always this crazy."

"Mmm." Anaya was not exactly listening; Inui was reciting the latest ingredients in the girl's remix juice and she wanted to know what she was against.

"Inui-san," Anaya said uncertainly, "I might be allergic to bumble bee's fur and butterfly wings. In fact, I think I'm positive of it."

Just then, Kawamura decided to take matters into his own hands and exact revenge on Inui. He grabbed his tennis racket and yelled, "BURNING! OH YEAH, BABY! YOU _WANT_ TO FIGHT ME?"

In response, Inui raised the pitcher of the Inui Juice Girl Remix 2000 and his eyebrow.

Fuji took the racket from his friend. "Saa… It's best not to try."

Kawamura nodded sheepishly and blushed.

Tezuka began to have a headache. He sighed and then shouted, "Silence!"

"About time," muttered Ryuzaki-sensei.

* * *

Inui scribbled down in his green notebook. "I wonder why Ryuzaki-sensei is letting Katzuhata play more than one match," he said, tapping his pen against the pages of his book.

The freshmen trio was standing near him and Horio was bursting to share his two years of tennis experience. "It's obvious she wants Anaya-chan's talent to be recognized!" he said.

"That's too obvious, Horio," Oishi said kindly, "I think what Inui means is why Ryuzaki-sensei would allow Anaya to play against the regulars eventhough she has never seen her play before."

"That's not really true," Fuji said.

Inui nodded, as if he had already known this. "An audition tape, I suppose?"

Fuji smiled.

Katsuo looked confused. "What audition tape, Fuji-senpai?" he asked.

"In order to be let into the school so late into the term, Anaya applied to Seigaku through tennis," Fuji explained. _Actually, I entered her application._

"Aren't certificates usually enough?" Kachiro asked.

Horio sniffed. "She can't have more certificates than I do, with my tennis classes during two-"

"Two years of tennis experience," sighed Kachiro and Katsuo together.

"Because tennis is one of Seigaku's strongest sports," Inui said, flipping through his pages, "there is a 92% chance that the principal wanted a recent recording of a tennis match played by Anaya."

Inui, Fuji and Oishi were the only seniors who had no matches scheduled, since all the tennis courts were used. Momo and Kaidoh had whined and hissed respectively when Inui suggested a match between the two rivals. The two of them began yelling and subsequently challenged each other to a tennis match. Tezuka was seen pinching the bridge of his nose in defeat soon after.

Kawamura was assigned by Ryuzaki-sensei to oversee the first-years. They were the ones who were using most of the courts during clumsy matches between themselves. Kawamura alternatively offered advice from the sidelines, to yelling at them to "BURN, YOU LOUSY FIRST YEARS, BURN", which scared them enough to keep them out of trouble.

Eiji was the umpire for the match.

"Let's continue where we left off," Anaya said, twirling her tennis racket again.

"Mada mada dane."

* * *

"One set match, Banana-chan to serve."

Anaya, who begun to look serious, suddenly turned around. "Eiji-senpai!?!"

"Eiji?" Oishi paled, concerned for the well-being of his friend, seeing Tezuka's headache worsen.

"Eiji!" Tezuka barked. "Ten laps after the match! Use formal tones!"

"Banana-chan," chuckled Fuji. "Good one."

"Ii data," Inui mumbled. "Cancel out 'Evil Female Fuji' under nicknames. Insert 'Banana-chan', which has a 67% reference to the mental state of the mind of the person in question."

"Eh, Banana-chan," Ryoma said, smirking, "hurry up serve."

"Baka."

* * *

Anaya sighed, bouncing the yellow tennis ball on the ground. _Honestly, all my tennis matches have been so informal since I left Hyotei. From hearing 'ore-sama' everyday to having strange umpires who either invent their own point system or names to call the players. Seigaku people have great imagination when it comes to tennis._

Soon, she forgot about 'Banana-chan' and the annoying jingle of the HL milk advertisement which had something to do with bananas. She spread her feet apart and with a blink of an eye, threw the tennis ball into the air. Then, she whacked it to the other side of the net.

Ryoma remembered her fast play and ran to receive the ball. He smacked it across the net, forcing power into the ball.

"_Twist serve!_" screamed the freshmen trio.

"I've seen that before," Anaya said to herself, "Hmm." She stepped aside to avoid a blow to her face and sent the tennis ball flying to the right corner of the courts. Ryoma started as the ball made a cool breeze as it flew past his face.

"15-love." Eiji was itching to say, "Go Banana-chan! Go Ochibi!" But he did not want more rounds.

Tezuka nodded at his self-control, as if he knew what Eiji was thinking.

Ryoma glared openly at Anaya from under his hat. Anaya glared back at him.

"I'll get you for that," he said, the same time as she said, "I'm going to slaughter you."

Then again in reply, at the same time, "Fine."

"There is a possibility that they may be good doubles players," commented Inui. "They certainly have same thoughts running through their heads."

"Argh," Horio cried, "Anaya served again!"

If anything, it was faster. Eiji leaned forwards to see the motion of the ball, and nearly fell off the chair.

"30-0."

"Bana- I mean, Anaya-chan is gaining the lead again," Kachiro said worriedly, looking at both of his classmates.

"Again?" noted Oishi. "She's played against Echizen before?"

Before Kachiro could reply, Horio interrupted again. "Ryoma-kun lost another point!"

"40-0." The pace of the game was so fast that as soon as Eiji called out the score, the match continued as heated as before, without stop.

_She's even faster than before_, Ryoma thought, running towards the net to return a drop shot. He looked at Anaya. Her face changed when she was playing a match – it was no longer quietly angry as more taunts piled up one on top of the other. She was emotionless. It was like an opposite of Fuji. His true expressions were seldom hidden during a tennis match.

The drop shot was a success. "50-0."

"I've never seen Echizen lose the first game in a love match," Oishi observed, then turned to Inui for an explanation. The data man had his head in his books.

"Katzuhata has a fast play, with technique and accurate precision," Inui said. "Echizen tends to follow the movements of his opponents and then set a trap for them. There isn't much of a trap you can set up with an opponent with her skills."

"Inui-senpai, are you saying that Ryoma-kun might lose?" asked Kachiro, tearing his eyes from the game.

"…It's too early to say."

"Game, Banana-chan! One game to love."

"Eiji-senpai," Anaya said, flipping her tennis racket over her wrist. "Can you stop calling me Banana-chan? It's going to become a permanent nickname soon."

Ryoma scoffed. "Too late."

"GO BANANA-CHAN!" cheered the freshmen trio. Anaya sighed.

"It's seems as though neither of them feels any pressure," Fuji commented.

"With that much ease with each other as first time opponents, there is a 76% chance that they are good friends. It is increased by 12% when they are of opposite genders."

Anaya had her back towards the regulars, but the back of her neck suddenly turned pink. From across the courts, Ryoma suddenly had the urge to pull his cap lower down his face to hide the pink hue spreading across his cheeks.

"They have good hearing," Oishi said.

"Saa."

"That's beside the point," snapped Anaya, "Hurry up serve, Echizen."

Ryoma launched the ball into the air.

* * *

A/N: Ok, I have no idea how to write a tennis match. There'll be one in the end xD but I'll wait until I gain more tennis experience... ahaha. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Again, I don't care if you're a chipmunk or human, PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you to those who replied to my PMs:)

And I'm sorry it's so one-lined... I really don't know how to phrase it so it'd be easier to read. But bear with me and read it^^ Thanks.


	14. Chapter 14: Wedding Bells

**Chapter Fourteen: Wedding bells**

"_Nya, Ochibi, do you want to go out?"_

"_Of course, Banana-chan!."_

_Pause. Violence starts. Violence stops._

"_Shut up imitating us, Eiji-senpai, Momo-senpai!"_

"_Mada mada."_

"_Aw…"_

* * *

Eiji jumped off his umpire stand forty minutes later. "Nya, you were great, Banana-chan!" he beamed. "You pulled off the match from Ochibi!"

It was seven games to six. Anaya won the tiebreak.

Anaya approached the net, wiping sweat from her face. "I beat you today," she said in undertones, "but-"

"Ne, it was luck," Ryoma completed, smirking. Inside, he was smarting at losing a match publicly. It was even worse that she was a girl. The only thing stopping him from working himself into a fume was her look of intense relief when the ball landed in the courts, winning her the match.

Then he realized how important getting into the team was.

Now that he knew a weakness, it was just a matter of exploiting it. _If I'm bored. I'm not like Fuji-senpai._

His train of thought was interrupted. "You're damn good," Anaya admitted. She had stopped shaking his hand but hadn't let go yet.

"I know."

Anaya gave him the don't-push-it look. "Not many people pushed me to a tiebreak."

"If we played a rematch, you won't even get a chance at tiebreak."

_Ah, good thinking, Echizen. Add fuel to the fire_, Fuji sighed.

As both tempers flamed, Eiji could not help himself. His two favourite freshmen were still talking quietly at the net?

"Nyaa! Ochibi and Banana-chan are so close, it's like they're getting married!" he said cheerfully to Inui, the closest person to him. "They-"

Whatever he was going to say was never heard.

* * *

Momo walked over to Inui. His match with Kaidoh ended after they stopped at 5-5 to yell at each other about who was showing less sportsmanship. It went on for twenty minutes, as the crowd dispersed, leaving the only second-year to panic as he tried to break up the fight. Tezuka had finally sighed and ordered them twenty laps. The same second-year umpire nearly fainted from relief.

"I can't see anything from here… Where's everybody? What's that weird noise? It's like a cat getting strangled…What's happening, Inui-senpai?"

The data man had never looked so happy. "Katzuhata never fails to surprise me with more data. Echizen and her are attacking Eiji after their marriage proposal… I can't predict the survival rate of Kikumaru… 12%? 10%? Ii data."

The gleeful boy walked off, scribbling in his book while chuckling evilly. Momo paled.

Momo ran inside the tennis court. "Oi Echizen! Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" he yelled. "You can't hold back that kind of information from your best friend, you just can't… ARGH! IS THAT EIJI-SENPAI?"

"Nya, am I dead yet? No… I thought heaven would be nicer… Banana-chan, why are you in heaven? Wait - no - I didn't say that! NYAAAA!!!"

* * *

Momo's loud voice carried to the other end of the tennis courts. Oishi was already crying. "Oh no! They're underaged! How can Echizen be so irresponsible? I have to inform Ryuzaki-sensei! Tezuka, where are you?!?"

Tezuka walked over to Oishi, massaging his temples. After he oversaw the second-years' runs, he took four tablets of Panadol. It seems like he needed two more. "What is it, Oishi?"

The data man suddenly popped up beside him. "According to scientific research, 72% of engaged couples have already done you-know-what in bed, though 29% claims that it doesn't necessarily have to be a bed…"

_I was wrong, _Tezuka thought, _I need four more tablets. _

Oishi clung onto Kawamura for support at the startling new information. Unfortunately, his tennis racket fell into his hands.

"BURNING!" (Poor Oishi, imagine the amount of shock he was going through.) "DON'T WORRY, ECHIZEN! I'LL BE YOUR BEST MAN! YOU'LL GET THE FINEST SUSHI IN ALL OF JAPAN AT YOUR WEDDING!"

_No. Six tablets._

* * *

When Kawamura was in burning mode, the whole campus could hear him. Helpless sobs from the Ryoma-Loving Fan Club from around the school rose. The editor of _Ryoma Daily_ tearfully posted the following announcement online by way of Twitter.

_Position of fiancé… Closed._

"Maybe," sniffed a particularly heartbroken girl, crying at the tennis courts, "maybe Ryoma-sama could move to Africa. Then he could have more than one wife."

* * *

Kaidoh always had high endurance on the courts. He did not have the same amount of endurance for idiocy. Unfortunately, he seemed to be surrounded by it.

"_Maybe," sniffed a particularly brick-headed girl, "maybe Ryoma-sama could move to Africa. Then he could have more than one wife."_

"FSHUU!" Kaidoh's hiss was suddenly louder than usual. Was the world coming to an end? Did someone stupider than Momo exist?

Inui strolled by the scene. "Kaidoh appears to be jealous at the thought of Echizen having more than one wife."

Inui gave a whole new meaning to 'two sides of the story'. The girls from the fan club who have yet to scatter from Kaidoh's glare had fainted. Inui turned back in anticipated delight and held up a pitcher of Inui Juice Girl Remix 2000. The janitor would later wonder why there were so many girls scattered on the ground like leaves.

Kaidoh had trouble not running around in circles as Oishi was now doing around an irritated buchou and an amused coach. "Inui-senpai!?!"

"Hmm, you have not rejected the idea. Highly interesting. This confirms the jealousy theory by 80%."

"Inui-senpai?! Am…Am I not your team mate? A friend?"

"Still no rejection? 100% confirmed."

* * *

Fuji, who was standing calmly at the tennis courts, was laughing. He was happy for his cousin's win, no matter how small the victory slide was. A match from Ryoma Echizen was good enough to put on a tennis resume.

His mood did not dampen when Tezuka finally snapped. "Fifty laps, all of you!"

Anaya momentarily stopped her attack. She smirked at Ryoma. "Haha, I'm not on the team! Too bad, Ryoma-kun."

"KATZUHATA, ECHIZEN, SIXTY LAPS!"

Ryoma stopped the attack too. "Buchou…" he muttered. 'Evil' and 'Sadist' was incoherent, so Anaya decided to let it go.

Anaya sighed. "C'mon."

Eiji sighed in relief at the sight of their retreating backs.

"Kikumaru, you have ten laps extra, don't forget."

"Nyaaaaa!!!!"

* * *

As his team did the laps, Tezuka unzipped his medicine bag and took out twenty Panadol pills. He was counting them out (six was probably enough) when Inui spoke up.

"Buchou… Overdosing yourself? Ten pills are enough."

As usual, Tezuka clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from uttering something stupid. Unfortunately, he did something stupider. He swallowed twenty pills.

"Ii data, our buchou is dying." Inui sighed. "Cleaning up team's mess was not in my job description as team manager."

* * *

A/N: Ahahaha, this chapter was pure crack. I'm kinda proud of it too, because it features all the regulars. :D I hope this makes up for the lack of a tennis match scene. Just a brief commentary that the match was tough and basically Anaya didn't use any special moves because Fuji didn't allow her to. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and tell me you did! xD


	15. Chapter 15: Miura buchou?

**Chapter Fifteen: Miura-buchou?**

_If the captain's angry, it's best not to get your vice-captain furious too._

* * *

"That's strange," Oishi said, looking at the opposite courts as he ran his fifth lap.

"What's strange?" Eiji asked, putting his right arm behind his head and stretching. His hand ached from being sat on during his earlier…attack.

"Miura-san is alone at the courts," Oishi said, pointing. "She rarely comes forward to take charge."

"Nya Oishi… why are you looking at her?"

Oishi blushed at the question and Momo, who was right behind them, snorted into laughter. "Ahahahaha. Good one, Eiji-senpai!"

"I-I'm not looking at her!"

"Well, she is," Kawamura said, looking at the courts.

All of them turned their heads to receive an icy stare.

Inui scribbled something down in his notebook. "Their speed increased by 90%... I wonder why…"

* * *

"Quiet." Avaron Miura, the vice-captain, stood in front of the thirty-odd people strong girl's tennis club; the first time she was taking full charge of the club.

"Sakamoto-buchou is not in school today," Avaron said, explaining her presence in front of them, "and Ryuzaki-sensei is settling administrative matters with a potential new member. First years, I want you at Court A and B practicing your swings after warm-up. Nakamura, you're in charge."

Rei Nakamura started at the sound of her name – she was staring beyond Avaron's shoulder. Inui was just outside the court, handing Tezuka a green pitcher at which the boy's captain grimaced at. ("Anti-Panadol Reverse Effect Inui Juice for Idiots. It's very good for you Tezuka… Take it. You want to live until the Nationals, don't you?")

"Ah… hai," Rei said uncertainly, praying she was not agreeing to something like extra laps.

"Second years at Court C, start the new training menu."

"Hai!"

"Regulars, Ryuzaki-sensei wants to meet you at the changing rooms now. That's it. You're dismissed."

As the crowd left, Rei held on to Sakuno's hand. "Wait – what am I supposed?"

"Lead the warm-ups, Nakamura-san," Sakuno said in surprise.

"Oh… yeah."

"Nakamura, Ryuzaki, stop talking," Avaron called from across the tennis courts. The two first-years froze on the spot and then ran to their teammates.

"How-how did she hear us?" Rei said under her breath, looking over her shoulder.

"I d-don't know… but let's go. Miura-senpai looks angry today."

* * *

Avaron tried not to get furious, but was failing miserably as she gave her regulars the look that said bring-your-butts-here-NOW. The quarter-finals of the Nationals were in exactly twelve days, and the _captain_ of all people was starting to act childish.

_Smart, Sakamoto_, fumed Avaron, glaring at no one in particular. Unfortunately, her gaze fell on the only two freshmen on the team, who instantly started to run to the changing room. _Fast. Just not as fast as when Sakamoto lands herself in doing something stupid._

Cheri Sakamoto had gotten herself grounded for the next two days. In was partly due to the destroyed clothing that had cost her father hundreds of US dollars to make – and he was hardly a fan of drama anyway. The no-nonsense businessman refused to allow her back to school eventhough Ryuzaki-sensei personally placed a call to persuade him to change his mind.

As Akira Tanaka, the only other third-year, passed Avaron, giving her a happy smile, Avaron thought of another pressing issue. If Katzuhata came along into the scene now, it would undoubtedly strengthen the team. Their reserve player was usually the strongest non-regular in the latest ranking matches.

_But_, Avaron thought, _a Nationals team with three freshmen in it? _

_Mental note: Double their training menu from today. Especially Suzume and Madoka._

Second-year Yuka Takanashi walked out of the changing room to look for Avaron, by the orders of Akira. She found her vice-captain frowning in the direction of the first and second-years. The only three third-years in the club were already in the team.

"Miura-senpai?" Yuka asked. "Everything all right?"

"It's fine, Takanashi," Avaron answered, her expression smoothening again.

Yuka shrugged. "Okay." She turned back to the changing rooms. "Akira-senpai says to come in," Yuka said, deciding to remove the words 'before the first-years faint from her glares'.

"Mm."

"Miura-senpai," Yuka said seriously, concerned for her senior, "if you're upset, it's okay. If it's any consolation to you, at least you're better off than Tezuka-senpai right now."

Yuka pointed to her right. Tezuka was now leaning against the tennis court door, massaging his forehead. Inui stood by him, scribbling away. ("It seems that the anti-panadol has destroyed all traces of panadol in his body – except it has left Tezuka with the reason why he took panadol in the first place; an extremely painful headache.")

For some reason, Inui was holding a stopwatch, as if timing Tezuka's final moments on earth, just in case.

Avaron shuddered. She turned away from them and followed Yuka. _I need a vacation._

* * *

Ryuzaki-sensei appeared at the doorway, along with Avaron and Yuka. The girls all looked up. "Everyone here?" Nods went all around.

"Good. I have several important things to talk to you about. First; Sakamoto has been pulled out of the school by her parents for the next three days, which will mean that Miura is in charge. Any problems with that?"

Only one nod this time, by Suzume Satou, one half of the freshmen doubles team. She was absent-mindedly killing an ant with her foot and did not look up. "Miura-senpai is scary…" she muttered.

Avaron rolled her eyes, Akira Tanaka snickered. Ryuzaki-sensei stared at the girl in silent amazement at her boldness (or ignorance) before carrying on.

"Second; there's a freshman from Hyotei who wants to play on the girl's team. Her name is-"

"Anaya Katzuhata," chorused the team. Akira added, "Sensei, that's rather old news."

"She did only get here two days ago," reminded Megume Itou, a second year, in defence.

"- she played a match with Echizen an hour ago," continued Ryuzaki. "She won, seven games to six."

"Wow! Against Echizen!"

"I suppose she _could_ be good…"

"Ryuzaki-sensei," Avaron interrupted. Silence fell. Their vice-captain never voiced out an opinion in front of the whole team before; it was always Cheri or Akira who would steal the spotlight. "Why did Katzuhata play a match against the boy's team instead of _us_?"

The coach smiled in acknowledgement. It was good to have a sharp person around, even if her questions were too blunt for her liking. (A/N: Hmm, irony, a sharp person being blunt. But makes sense though, right? English is a strange language.)

"Katzuhata suggested it herself," Ryuzaki-sensei replied, "to give some sort of proof that she is capable enough to be even considered on the girl's team. Take that as a compliment – it means she thinks highly of you, even if she wouldn't show it."

"But Ryuzaki-sensei," said Madoka, frowning, "What position will she play?"

"That's up to you girls to decide," Ryuzaki said, looking at her watch. "I need to settle certain issues with the boy's team but I'll come back in twenty minutes. I'll leave you girls to discuss Katzuhata's probability of entering the school team."

The coach hesitated, then continued. "I just want you to know that Sakamoto is very against the idea. If you accept Katzuhata into the team, the whole team needs to accept her. You will have to find some way to convince your captain as well."

"She has the power to overthrow the decision, doesn't she?" Avaron said. Her eyes were narrowed, but nobody could fathom the tone of her voice.

Ryuzaki was already out of the door, but she paused to answer. "Yes."

As soon as the door closed, the discussion started.

* * *

"I heard that Katzuhata was in a car accident two weeks ago," Megume said, untying her mess of curls. "Do you think she's well enough?"

"I think she is, Itou-senpai," Suzume said, remembering their PE lesson. Before the rain of dodgeballs, Anaya managed to score eighteen points single-handedly during the game.

"She's pretty good in PE," Madoka agreed.

"PE isn't tennis," Avaron said, leaning against the half-opened door. She was looking outside, with a distracted look on her face.

"What are you doing, Miura-san?" Akira asked, standing behind her, craning her neck for a better look outside. "Looking for the boys?"

"That's your job, Tanaka," Avaron snapped, "My job is to lookout for the first and second years."

The first and second years inside the changing room sweat-dropped. Akira frowned at her teammate. Even though they may not seem like friends, they had been together since elementary school, and it was not like Avaron to be so distracted and upset, even if the team was in shambles. _I'll find out why she's so jumpy eventually._

She turned back at the rest. "You know, I think Katzuhata should join the team too. We know she's good enough, since she's Hyotei material and…" she lowered her voice, "she did beat Sakamoto-buchou."

Just then, a rolled-up paper came from nowhere and smacked Akira at the side of her head. She fell over, chibi style. "OW! MIURA-SAN!"

"There's no need to hide facts, Tanaka," Avaron said in an annoyed tone. "Stop dramatizing everything or I'll put _you_ in charge of the first years."

The thing about Akira though, was when she fell down, she would bounce back up with twice as much energy. It was annoying, but even Avaron admitted it was a damn good tactic on the tennis courts.

"Well, since we all agree on Katzuhata into our family," Akira said brightly, throwing Avaron an appraising look, "I think we should give Cheri a call now."

* * *

"Who died and made _you_ the buchou?" shrieked Madoka.

"_I_ would rather die than call her," Megume agreed, staring at her senior like she had lost her mind.

"Er… _have_ you lost your mind?" Yuka said uncertainly.

Suzume was too busy trying to divide her belongings to her friends in her head, in the case where her captain would kill her. The chances were high.

"Come on!" Akira cried exasperatedly. "You can't be that scared of her! What's she done to you?"

"It's easy for you to say, Tanaka-senpai," Suzume said seriously, "you're her best friend."

"But if we called her, especially when she's so angry at Anaya-chan right now," Madoka added, "to tell her that we want her in the team, she'll kill us."

Unexpectedly, the person to come to Akira's rescue was Avaron. "Listen to yourselves," Avaron said, sounding even more annoyed than before, "how else would you propose we tell her we want Katzuhata on the team?"

Sheepish silence settled in the room. Long distance over telephone wires was a great deal safer than two feet away from the person.

"Well-said, Miura-san," Akira beamed, "now where's your phone?"

"My phone? Why?"

"C'mon, c'mon," Akira said impatiently, "you're supposed to be the no.1 ranked female student in the school."

Avaron glared at the comment. She pulled her handphone from her bag and threw it across the room. Akira caught it neatly.

"What happened to yours, Tanaka? Called to many boys with it?" There was no lost love between them.

"Ne, Yuka-senpai," Suzume whispered, "why does Miura-senpai keeps using the word 'boys' with Tanaka-senpai?"

The senior froze, then gave a shaky laugh as Akira told them to go outside to take the phone call. "Ahh… hormones I guess."

"Cheri only answers to Miura-san when she's in a mood. Now, everyone, behind the changing rooms so no one can see us, just in case a junior comes into the changing room. I'm dialing her number now."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reviewing, everyone! You really made my day :) I'm sorry for being so out-of-the-scene for two weeks, it's school. The homework is piling and it's only the first week of school :S I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's not as light-hearted as chapter 14 and the next few chapters is going to be pretty dark, as it explores the girl's team and boy's team. Also, the girl's vice-captain has a gritty past...

Please help me get **50 reviews**! It's not a big number! Just leave a comment by clicking on the rectangular button... a review means a lot to me, and I'll do my best to answer yours!


	16. Chapter 16: You're In

**Chapter Sixteen: You're In**

* * *

Finally, after two failed attempts, the ringing stopped and a human voice resounded.

"Onii-san!" yelled the captain, "I told you, if you called me one more time-"

"Sakamoto-buchou," interrupted Avaron. "It's me."

The pause on the other line was short. Cheri was never one to show her surprise for long. "I-I knew that." She cleared her throat to get rid of the high squeaky voice. "What do you want, Miura-san?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei told me to call you," Avaron said, lying easily, sounding almost bored. "I'm to inform you that the team supports Katzuhata into our team before the Nationals start."

"Oh," Cheri said, annoyed. From her bedroom, she punched her pillow to swallow her anger. It was foolish to expect sympathy from her vice-captain. When she saw Avaron's number flashing on her handphone screen, she felt a twinge of warm after the furious blasting from her father. But Avaron has stopped giving sympathy to her – or anyone – since she turned eight.

The mention of Katzuhata stopped making her blood boil. It just made her feel very, very tired.

"The team wants to know why you're opposed to her being in our team," Avaron said. "We need an eighth player on our team and she fits the bill for now."

"Miura-san, are you reading from a script or something?" Cheri said.

Avaron looked up from the pieces of paper that Akira had shoved in her hands at periodic time intervals. The said girl was blushing furiously.

"No," Avaron lied.

"Well… Did Ryuzaki-sensei tell you about Katzuhata's match with Echizen?" Cheri asked. "I heard she only won by one game. No offence to the guy, but it's not likely he was playing in his true form today during a practice match."

"But-"

"And I called Hyotei's captain yesterday. Konoe-san told me that Katzuhata is very temperamental."

"So-"

"And don't you tell the others, but I spoke to Fuji-san the other day. He said Katzuhata was in a car accident and is still recovering."

"Then-"

"Miura, aren't you listening?" cried Cheri exasperatedly, slamming her hand on her bedpost. "All you've heard of that girl are rumours. If you want to learn her true strength, you've got to play her yourself."

Avaron looked down at the latest piece of paper on her hand. With Cheri interrupting her all the time, the sentences made little sense. _What the hell_, Avaron thought.

"But the team really believes she is capable. So is it because of your pride then?" Avaron crushed the paper in her hand. "Is it really because you're afraid that she might replace you after your parents banned you from tennis?"

The angry explosive noise on the handphone was deafening.

* * *

"Why the hell did you write that down, Tanaka-senpai?" Yuka said in undertones, looking at Avaron's impassive face.

"I'm not the one saying it," Akira replied, with an awed look on her face. "And I didn't write that last sentence down."

* * *

Whatever answer Avaron or any of the other girls ecpected, Cheri surpassed them. "That is a very low statement, Miura," Cheri said quietly.

"So it's true?" Avaron said indifferently. "All your talk just boils down to you afraid for the sake of your reputation?"

The girls in the team were slowly backing away from the conversation. The two freshmen had long disappeared and Megume uttered an excuse about the toilet before fleeing. Yuka and Akira were frozen to the spot.

Their vice-captain, the perpetually level-headed senior, was radiating a foul temper the whole day. Suddenly directing her anger towards the captain was frightening.

"I know why you're acting like this, Miura," Cheri said thickly, as if she was crying. Then, she took a deep breath and yelled, "But I don't give a damn if your parents died today seven years ago – you've no right to accuse me like that!"

* * *

Suddenly, like a rubber band pulled back on your fingers and released, the phone disappeared from Avaron's hands and landed on soft grass, near a pair of white tennis shoes.

A girl picked up the phone, which was dangling in two pieces, connected by a series of wires. A high-pitched voice still emitted from it, the voice breaking. "You can tell Katzuhata to meet me in the mountains next week," it said. The line broke off and the light from the handphone faded.

"Meet me in the mountains?" she asked the elderly woman next to her, who had her arms folded. "Ryuzaki-sensei?"

"Watch the second-years practice for now," the coach replied grimly, walking towards the two wide-eyed girls and the crying vice-captain. "I've got some things to sort out right now."

* * *

Two hours and a few tissues later, Ryuzaki-sensei called five students into her office. They stood in a line in front of her table.

"Katzuhata, you've been accepted into the girl's tennis team," Ryuzaki said. "As such, you'll be participating in the combined training camp the tennis club is having next week. You'll be under Sakamoto and Miura from now on."

Anaya looked to her left at her senior. It was like the afternoon had never happened at all. Apart from the shadows under her eyes and the slightly red nose, the vice-captain remained unmoved. She looked down at her new junior.

_Am I supposed to do something?_ wondered Anaya. She turned full-body towards her and bowed low.

Avaron looked shocked for a second at the motion, then turned away. "You're adequate," she replied. "Give your best at the training camp then."

Ryuzaki turned to the boys. "Seeing as both the girls and boys will be at the camp, I thought you should be informed as well."

Tezuka nodded. "We'll be training intensively during the camp," he told Anaya. "You must not let your guard down."

"Fuji will be glad," Oishi said, smiling. "Welcome to the family, Anaya-chan."

Before Anaya could answer, Ryuzaki stood up. "That's all. Miura, I want to talk to you. Tezuka, tell Tanaka to come in. She should be outside."

* * *

In the end, there were two girls left in Ryuzaki's office. It was getting dark outside. Their tennis practice ended at eight o'clock now, and it was nearly nine.

"I'm very disappointed in the two of you," Ryuzaki said, standing in front of them with her arms crossed. Akira looked at the floor, looking very sorry. Avaron looked outside the window. _Too many blastings in one day. _

"I left the girls in your care, as the seniors of the team. Instead, I find the both of you idling behind the changing rooms while Satou and Itou, _your juniors_, managed the first and second years. How do you explain that?"

* * *

_Half an hour ago_

A freshman approached Avaron at the end of the day, who was keeping her tennis racket. "Ahh… Ryuzaki-sensei wants to see you and Tanaka-senpai outside her office."

Avaron exchanged glances with Akira. "She's going to give us a earful," groaned Akira.

"Tanaka," Avaron started.

"Hmm?"

"If Ryuzaki-sensei asks what happened, don't say anything."

"Eh? Why?"

"The less people who knows about this… the better."

* * *

Ryuzaki sighed. The stony silence had stretched too long. It was time to wrap up. "It's getting late. You can both go now, but this incident must never repeat itself. Understand?"

"Hai."

Relief was written all over Akira's face but Avaron remained moody.

"Are you okay, Miura?" Ryuzaki asked, in a last attempt to get the girl to talk. She had not said anything to the coach since she was caught.

Avaron was already at the door. "I'm fine," she said, and closed it.

* * *

A/N: Yoz peeps, the story will end pretty soon. I want it to end before my birthday in August. Hope you've enjoyed the story so far!

Recap on OC characters in case you've forgotten them:

Captain (3rd year) - Cheri Sakamoto

Vice-captain (3rd year) - Avaron Miura

(3rd year) Akira Tanaka

(2nd year) Megume Itou

(2nd year) Yuka Takanashi

(1st year) Madoka Abe

(1st year) Suzume Satou

Pls review on your way out!


	17. Chapter 17 Pt I: Bus Ride

**

* * *

**

Chapter Seventeen: Breakaway (Pt. I)

Seishin ittou nanigoto ka narazaran

_Where there's a will, there's a way_

**Chapter Warning: Pure Randomness. True stuff comes in the next part of the chapter. Sorry about it. It's so long since I've written, I feel like I need to get warmed-up to it again.**

_

* * *

_

The bus Ryuzaki usually booked for tennis camps was never as filled, and never as silent, as it was that day. Both girl's and boy's team were sprawled in the moth-bitten seats, their mouths in an undignified 'O' as they snored. It was five o'clock in the morning and hardly dark outside.

Attendance taking. That was something Ryuzaki usually left to Oishi to do. Today, her vice-captain had forgotten his duties. Heck, the whole team hardly looked like a national-calibre tennis team. Ryoma looked like he had just gotten up from bed as he sunk into the seat next to the window.

"You could look perkier," Ryuzaki remarked to the two teams as a whole, looking at their bleary faces. She tried to get their spirits up. "We'll be waking up at this time everyday during the camp. You'd better get used to it."

Stoned silence.

"Are you listening to me?" she asked sharply.

Stoned silence.

"I won a lottery and we're going to Hawaii to learn ballroom dancing," she said.

Stoned silence.

Ryuzaki rolled her eyes. "Tch. I give up."

* * *

_One hour later_

Kawamura's watch beeped softly, signaling the start of the day for him. He would usually wake up early in the morning to help his father in the sushi restaurant before going off to school.

The power player stirred at the insistent beeping. The person in the seat next to his yawned and stretched his legs. "Saa… you're up early."

"Sorry Fuji," apologized Kawamura, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I hope I didn't wake anyone else u-"

His words were smothered by a small baby pillow. "Then turn your alarm off!" cried Akira, rubbing her eyes. She turned behind and snatched back the pillow, bringing it to her face. Her dark hair was messy from tossing and turning in her sleep, sticking out at odd angles.

Fuji turned away and started laughing.

Momentarily distracted, Akira stopped what she was doing – which was raising her pillow threateningly in Kawamura's direction- and glared at him. "That's so rude! Shut up laughing!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Kawamura smacked his watch screen. The alarm died.

"Thank God that-"

"Ahh…" yawned Momo. "Why is it so noisy? Are we there yet? I'm hungry."

"Fshuu... You're too loud in the morning," grunted Kaidoh, who was sitting behind Momo.

"Wha- It's not my fault!"

"Nya, stop fighting," whined Eiji. He yawned and stretched.

WHAM. Yuka Takanashi woke up and knocked over her bag, letting it fall on the fall. "Shut up, Momo," she said grumpily. "It's too early-"

"Argh!" cried Megume Itou. "Your bag is on my foot!"

"No it's not-"

Suzume Satou nudged her friend. Madoka yawned and increased the volume on her iPod. They were the only sane people on the bus so far.

"I suggest we keep quiet," suggested Inui, popping up from the back, "there are people whom we do not want to wake up."

The captains and vice-captains of both teams were sitting in front, still knocked out. They had stayed late the night before to iron out the small details of the camp. The innkeeper had an overhaul of visitors and somehow their school was overlooked. They managed to find another campus only just in time.

Katzuhata and Echizen were in front as well with the other two freshmen but they are not important characters right this minute, so they are still asleep.

The awaken were quiet for a moment.

* * *

"I can't go back to sleep," Akira sighed in a hushed whisper.

"Neither can I," said Fuji, unmoving. His voice startled her – he had his eyes closed during most of the bus ride.

A rustling noise was heard for a fleeting second. "What was that?" whispered Yuka.

"Me." A torchlight switched on, highlighting Inui's face. His spectacles shone in reflection.

The effect was terrifying, until Akira threw her pillow at him.

"_Honestly_," she muttered. "What are you doing with that map and cell phone?"

"What are you doing with a cell phone?" accused Megume, kneeling on her seat so she can look at him behind. "I thought Ryuzaki-sensei confiscated them. If I had known I could keep it…"

"It's not mine," Inui said calmly, holding it up. It was pink, with a photo sticker on it. A girl was pulling a funny face on camera.

Yuka blushed. Momo snickered.

"I was looking at the map with the torchlight function on the cell phone," Inui stated, sounding more like his usual self. "I did ask Ryuzaki-sensei for permission."

* * *

_Five minutes ago_

"Ryuzaki-sensei, may I borrow the map and a torchlight?" Inui asked, quietly stepping over the fallen rucksacks on the floor of the bus.

"Uhmm." Ryuzaki cleared her throat in her sleep and leaned against the window pane, deep in sleep.

The spectacles glinted. "Arigato."

* * *

"That's called asking for permission?" Kawamura said doubtfully. Of course he was eavesdropping. The awakened had all awakened again.

"I like your idea," Eiji declared, giving a thumbs up, raising his hand in front of him. He dominated most of the back seat with Inui, lying down full-body on it.

"Anyway," Inui continued, "I was studying our road map and apparently there is a last-minute change of location."

"Thank God," Akira said lazily, melting in her seat like an iceberg. She was getting restless. "Give me that phone after you're done, Inui-san. I could reserve the business class suite at the Four Seasons with the Internet Access."

"No chance," Inui said, shaking his head. "We're headed to the Gorges Place."

"Where is that?" Fuji asked.

Inui looked up. "It was owned by an Australian billionaire named Andrew Gorges, and sold the day after it was purchased. Apparently people go in… and never come out."

"Are you kidding me?" Yuka said sceptically.

Short silence. Everyone looked up, waiting for the answer. Akira looked like she was going to scoff, but she still leaned in to listen to the conversation.

"... Yeah."

* * *

A/N: I know, it's a messy chapter with nothing going on. Ah well. It'll be better in the next installment :)

The story will be finished on the 18th August, my birthday :D

Please leave a review. Thanks!


	18. Chapter 17 Pt II: Bus Ride

**Chapter Seventeen: Bus Ride (Pt. II)**

Seishin ittou nanigoto ka narazaran

_Where there's a will, there's a way_

* * *

_From the previous episode… eh… chapter:_

"No chance," Inui said, shaking his head. "We're headed to the Gorges Place."

"Where is that?" Fuji asked.

Inui looked up. "It was owned by an Australian billionaire named Andrew Gorges, and sold the day after it was purchased. Apparently people go in… and never come out."

* * *

"Hand me the cell phone," Akira demanded, "I'll ask Obaa-san to get us some rooms at the nearest hotel."

She took the phone from a bemused Inui's hand. "Tch, this is such an old model of phone," muttered Akira, "it doesn't even have a touch screen."

Yuka's face turned pink because she, of course, was the owner of the cell phone. Remember the photo sticker of a girl pulling a weird face? Who else could it be but her?

"Takana-senpai," she started, "I don't think- why am I even bothering to explain myself? It's a new model! The latest from Sony Ericsson! Give it back!" She stood up and held out her hand, with her other hand on her hip. This was a wise decision on her part, especially since the next corner of road was a sharp turn to the left.

Yeah, right.

The brunette only had time to open her mouth before she fell forward onto the narrow space on the floor.

"Don't scream!" Momo cried, in advance. "The others will wake up!"

"But you're screaming too," pointed out Eiji, looking reasonably confused.

"You're being too loud, baka," Kaidoh said, kicking the seat in front of him.

Yuka coughed from the dust on the floor. She turned so that she was on her back and glared at Momo from the floor. He scooted back into his seat from her fierce glare. "Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

"What d'you think? I'm falling and you just tell me not to scream!? What kind of man are you?"

Akira rolled her eyes. "That _was_ tactless."

"You should have at least helped her up," Fuji advised, smiling gently at his bewildered junior. At the same time, Inui said, "There is a 92% chance that Takanashi-san wanted you to rescue her."

"Er," Momo said, looking around at all the expectant faces. He leaned forward into the narrow lane, near to Yuka. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Er, I guess I have to make up to you."

"Oh no, I'm fine. This is a comfortable area," Yuka said sarcastically. Momo lightened up.

"Really?"

WHAM. Yuka returned to her seat in a huff. Momo nursed the handprint shape on the side of his face.

Kawamura looked uncertainly at the situation and offered a suggestion. "I think we should wake up Ryuzaki-sensei. We'll be reaching the destination soon, right?" he said.

Akira grinned, an evil gleam in her eye. She exchanged glances with Inui, who nodded in understanding.

"What are you talking about?" Eiji asked, "Nya, I want to know!"

"Okay… Listen."

* * *

_Five minutes later_

The cellphone in Ryuzaki's pocket rang softly.

_I want nobody, nobody but you!_

_I want nobody, nobody but you!_

_I want nobody, nobody but-_

"Hello?" a sleepy voice said. "Ryuzaki Sumire speaking."

Behind, both teams were laughing silently. "She listens to that song?" choked Momo.

"Yes," said Akira in a business-like voice. "I'm calling from the Tennis Association of Japan. You have won the Best Coach Award this year."

"The Best Coach Award?" Ryuzaki echoed incredulously. "I'm flattered… But the Nationals isn't over yet!"

"What Nationals? We're talking about the Best _Coach_ Award. Your bus, Ryuzaki-sensei, is top-notch. We could call it the Best Bus Award but it doesn't sound chim enough."

Peals of laughter suddenly echoed throughout the bus.

* * *

_Three minutes later_

"This is your fault," grumbled Megume. "What kind of pathetic joke was that? Now we're walking to a haunted destination with Yuka's phone confiscated so we can't go to any hotel."

Akira stretched her arms and walked backwards ahead of the team, trying to rally their spirits. "Oh come on, you laughed! The house is just over there anyway."

"I can't believe she kicked us out of the bus," sighed Momo. "That's not fair, not fair at all."

She pointed towards a building just along the road. The bus, or coach – whatever you want to call it, was parked beside it.

"We rented that?" Fuji said. Even he, the cynic of the group, was unable to fathom its size.

"Nya, it's very big," Eiji commented in awe, looking up at the building with wide eyes. It was un understatement on his part. The building was the size of their school, dark, with plenty of grounds around it.

"It is to be expected that Andrew Gorges would own this mansion," said Inui, taking out his notebook and flipping its pages. "Most billionaires own rather large mansions compared to commoners, to prove that their ego is indeed bigger than an average person."

"Saa… I think we should hurry up," Fuji said, "the others are already there."

"They're awake too," Kawamura noticed.

"Oh no." Eventhough only Megume said this out loud, everyone had the phrase running through their minds. Tezuka and Cheri were standing side-by-side at the bus, their arms folded. Though their faces could not be seen because of the dark and the distance, their foul moods radiated.

"TWENTY LAPS AROUND THE CAMPUS _NOW_."

* * *

_At breakfast_

The tennis players were in the dining hall, or so they presumed. They were sitting in a musty room with maroon walls and carpeted floor, with chandeliers as lights. A majority of them had a light sheen of sweat from their faces. Nobody knew where the campus ended anyway, so they settled for thirty rounds around the water fountain in front of the building. This was no joke either. The bus could drop down from the sky and the fountain will still have plenty of space for ducks to swim in.

"That was a _long_ run... Hey, is there such thing as a black carpet?" Yuka asked critically, looking at the ground.

"Black? My side is brown," Akira replied in surprise.

"Quiet!" Ryuzaki said. She was standing in front of the two long tables. "We've arrived at the Gorges Place. It is quite a big place, but I have a copy of the blueprint. I'm hanging it here." She pointed behind her, where a large sheet of blue paper with white markings was taped on.

"There hasn't been occupants in this place since… ever. So it'll be quite easy to get lost, especially on the grounds. Fortunately for us, we don't have to walk very far to get to the tennis courts because Gorges was apparently a tennis player too."

"I guess that means we don't need to take the bus again," Fuji commented, smiling.

"It was a fine coach," Akira said, grinning.

Ryuzaki gave her a look.

She shut up.

"I'm going to divide you guys into different parts of the grounds," continued Ryuzaki. "Each of you will be in pairs. This morning only, we'll have free practice matches to warm up for the afternoon. The captains of the teams have finalized the pairs. You'll find you've been partnered with someone you may not be used to."

Inui stood up from his seat and walked to the front, with his notebook. "The boys and girls team will train separately this morning. Each pair will have written directions, and each tennis court on the campus has a label "ONE" to "TWELVE" on it. I have already visited all twelve, so if the need arises, you can call me."

"He hasn't died yet," Eiji said in astonishment. "He said it was a haunted place!"

Oishi shushed him, sweatdropping at the comment. "Ahaha… No, I don't think he meant it, Eiji. Besides, it's morning. No one haunts in the morning." _What am I talking about? I don't even know how a ghost thinks. _

"We might have to call the ghost busters," Fuji said, smiling.

"Oh! I-"

"Also, some pairs would be watching other pairs, to learn from them and umpire," Ryuzaki interrupted. "The odd pairs will help the even pairs, so pair one will help pair two and so on. This goes for both teams."

"I'll be walking around so there's no mix-up," Inui said. "The first pair, at Court One, is Eiji and Taka-san." He looked up and held up a folded piece of paper.

"I think that's our cue, Eiji," Kawamura said, standing up.

"Oh."

"The second pair, at Court Two, is Oishi and Fuji."

"Let's have a good game, Fuji."

"Saa… I think we're the second pair so Eiji won't be lost."

"You may be right."

"The third pair is Momo and Kaidoh. You're at Court Three."

"Baka."

"I'm going to crush you, Mamushi. I feel good today."

"Fshuu."

"The fourth pair is Tezuka and Echizen. Court Four."

There was a small raspy sound of the chair scraping the surface of the carpet. A pause. Where was the other scrapy sound?

Anaya turned around in her chair and kicked it. Its occupant looked up groggily.

"Echizen!" barked Ryuzaki. "Wake up!"

"Ah… hai." Cue the next scrapy sound.

"Don't let your guard down, Echizen."

"Hai, buchou."

Inui turned to the girl's team. "The other courts will be on the right side of the campus. The first pair is Suzume Satou and Megume Itou. You're at Court Five."

Megume took the outstretched paper and was the first person to open it at the dining hall. The pair was walking outside. "What kind of directions is this? SI?" She gave it to her junior, who gave her a blank face.

"I don't read Roman, senpai."

Inui coughed. "The directions are on the other side of the paper."

"I think I better follow them," Avaron said, rolling her eyes at the retreating figures.

"Ahh… The second pair is Avaron Miura and Akira Tanaka at Court Six. It's next to Court Five."

"I'll just follow you," Akira said brightly.

"Right…"

"The third pair is Yuka Takanashi and Madoka Abe. Court Seven."

"Don't even say that the directions are in Roman."

"Don't worry, Takanashi-senpai."

"And the last pair is-"

"We'll be at Court Eight," Cheri said briskly. She walked out of the room, snatching the directions from Inui's hand. "Thanks."

Ryuzaki sighed. "You'd better follow her, Katzuhata. She's not going to wait for you."

Anaya stood up. "Okay."

* * *

**Please review! I'll like your feedback - are these chapters too OC or messy? **

**There will only be one or two more chapters left.**


	19. Chapter 18: Because

**Chapter Eighteen: Because**

_Everybody wants answers._

_But they never can get all of them._

_Because._

* * *

Anaya grabbed her tennis racket lying against her rucksack near the doorstep and ran forwards to the open front door. She was just in time to glimpse Cheri's black hair flying in the wind before she disappeared around the corner.

The courtyard was mostly silent. If she strained her ears, she could vaguely make out Eiji's enthusiastic remarks and Kawamura's burning yells. _I wonder why they're so loud._

"I could go back and ask Ryuzaki-sensei for directions," she said aloud. Then, she mentally slapped herself. _Great move, Anaya, make a full of yourself in front of Inui-senpai and Ryuzaki-sensei._

"Katzuhata, KEEP UP," rang out Cheri's authoritative voice suddenly.

"Wah!!" The abrupt call made Anaya take a step back in surprise, slip over a random piece of paper and fall down the next three steps hard on her bottom.

"Katzuhata!" Ryuzaki called. The data man and coach had appeared in the doorway, about to make their rounds, just in time to watch her grand fall.

Anaya turned around and caught sight of the two said people. Speak of the devil. She bounced back up to her feet, blushing furiously. "Nothing happened!"

Inui bent down and picked up the guilty piece of paper and raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

Ryuzaki gave her freshman a once-over glance to make sure she was all right. Then, she turned to Inui. "What is it, Inui?" she asked, unaccustomed to seeing her team manager surprised at something.

Inui held up the piece of paper.

"Déjà vu," muttered Anaya.

"It should be," Inui said indifferently, picking up what she said. "It's Eiji's and Taka-san's directions."

Ryuzaki sighed in exasperation. "Those boys." She took the paper. "I'll find them."

As she walked away from them, Anaya pulled the corner of her shirt sheepishly. "Ahh… speaking of lost people…"

"Court eight is a straight walk if you turn right at that tree," Inui said, cross-checking his notebook. "Approximately twenty-nine steps for me, but maybe thirty-six for you."

"Thanks."

With that, she took off.

* * *

Court eight was as empty as… a toilet after a person barfed in it. Not a single soul was there, or around it. This is speaking from memory.

Anaya took a deep breath and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Sakamoto-senpai!" she yelled. There was no response.

"Great," Anaya said in disgust, and kicked the green railing surrounding the tennis court. Then, she turned her back on it and sighed.

If a psychologist ever saw her at that state, he would have pronounced advanced monochromatic lifestyle syndrome, a name he would have made up just to say she was feeling depressed in order to cough up more bucks in the bill.

The main idea is, the twelve-year-old felt out of place with the other tennis players. She was the 'outsider' and the main cause of the problems the girl's team faced recently. At least the other freshmen on both teams had a chance to fit in with the crowd.

"And it doesn't freaking help if you continue to blast at me," Anaya muttered to the air.

She got up from her position and swung her tennis racket. Even if Cheri was there, she would have no idea what to do. Playing a practice match with the captain?

Tezuka's match with Echizen was going to impart some wisdom into that sleepy head's brain, probably something about Don't Get Your Guard Down or Become Seigaku's Pillar Of Support. But heck, Cheri wanted Anaya to disappear. This match was about revenge, and Anaya did not know whether to laugh or cry at the absence of her opponent.

She walked around, absorbed in her thoughts. If she was more observant like her cousin, she may have noticed the delicate pattern on the ground, the kind the soles of an Addidas Tennis Shoes may make on dirt. She was unconsciously following the pattern, walking towards the place where it abruptly stopped. There was a green tennis bag on the ground, but she just stepped over it.

Anaya did not stop. She did not even notice why she was suddenly level with the head of an enormous tree.

She fell on her butt and slid down the steep path. It was practically a sheer drop from the top. "ARGHHH!!!"

* * *

She landed at the feet of a pair of Addidas Tennis Shoes.

"I knew you were slow," said its owner in an annoyed voice, "I didn't know you were such an idiot too. Why on earth did you follow my footsteps? Didn't you see my tennis bag?"

Anaya looked up, brushing away fallen dead leaves from her hair and looked up at her senior. Cheri had one hand on her hip and an exasperate expression on her face.

"You fell too," pointed out Anaya.

"I was looking for _you_," Cheri snapped. "I lost my footing on the edge and fell. I thought you were lost, but now we both are. Happy?"

The freshman was blushing again, but it was from fury this time. _Don't lose it._ "What about Inui-senpai's map?"

"This rubbish? It said turn right at the giant tree and walk thirty-six steps."

Right. It was extremely like the data man to provide concise but useless information.

Cheri sighed, and looked at her watch. "We could wait here for Ryuzaki-sensei to make her rounds. She's in charge of this court, so she'll find us." The confidence in her voice almost made Anaya believe her. Her skills of conviction were nearly unparalleled, which was one of the reasons why she was made captain.

Anaya, however, grew up with Fuji. His ability of manipulating words to his benefit made her cautious of the way people speak, and through the strong voice, she found her worried eyes which were scanning their surroundings warily, as if for a way out.

"You're the captain," Anaya said finally, shrugging.

Cheri paused, and looked down. The freshman had plopped down onto the ground, hugging her tennis racket like a child would hug a teddy bear. Her scornful expression wavered.

"Yeah, I'm the captain," reaffirmed Cheri, "and I guess I'm _your_ captain too."

There was a long silence.

"What?"

Cheri opted to lean against a tree trunk in response.

Anaya looked down. She felt a pang of homesickness, for her previous team in Hyotei. There, she could strike up a conversation about any random thing, from the frog at the nearby pond to team players themselves.

_Team players_. "Sakamoto-senpai… erm… Sakamoto-buchou, can you tell me why there are so many freshmen on the girl's teams? There are so many third-years in the boy's teams but there are only three here."

_I laid out the foundation. Up to her to continue the story._

"Many people asked me that," scowled Cheri, "especially the captains of other teams."

"Forget I asked," Anaya said hastily, "I-"

"I always tell them, 'Why Not?'" continued Cheri. Anaya looked up at the tone of her voice. It sounded fiercely proud, like what Fuji would do when someone dismissed Yuuta in front of his face. "Age doesn't matter in skill, and these first years can kick most people's butts in the courts."

"I remember Miura-senpai saying something like that too."

"Yeah, well." Cheri frowned in the distance. "I think that's a tennis court. We can easily practice there – it's pointless if we just wait here anyway."

Anaya stood up. "Okay."

* * *

Here they were at last. The captain and the junior, standing at opposite ends of the tennis court. The steely determination in their eyes had no more wariness nor revengeful spirit. They were here to prove themselves as tennis players, and nothing more.

_Squeak. Thud. Plonk._

If anyone saw them, they would have been ashamed, from the game.

They made no sound with their mouth, but the persistent squeaks of their shoes as they pivoted, how they stretched their arms to hit the ball, how their feet made a blurry motion as the pair scampered across the green floor, running. Lunging for the yellow ball, determined to score a point off the other. Jumping, sliding, twisting their bodies.

At last, at the end of the forty minutes, the smaller girl raised her head. She was sweating profusely. Her shoulders sagged in defeat, but her eyes shone with happiness. She was being accepted.

The captain smiled in triumph, without mirth. She walked towards the white netting, and stretched her hand in her first friendly act towards the girl.

At last.

* * *

Date of completion: Saturday 29th August 2009


End file.
